Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua ValleyOn the high desert plateau of northern Mexico, outsiders have taken refuge from the secular world. Here three Anglo communities of Mormons and Mennonites have ordered their lives around male supremacy, rigid religious duty, and a rejection of modern technology and culture. In so doing, they have successfully adapted to this harsh desert environment. Janet Bennion has lived and worked among these people, and in this book she introduces a new paradigm—"desert patriarchy"—to explain their way of life. This perspective sheds light not only on these particular communities but also on the role of the desert environment in the development and maintenance of fundamentalist ideology in other parts of the United States and around the globe. Making new connections between the arid environment, opposition to technology, and gender ideology, Bennion shows that it is the interplay of the desert and the unique social traditions and gender dynamics embedded in Anglo patriarchal fundamentalism that accounts for the successful longevity of the Mexican colonies. Her model defines the process by which male supremacy, female autonomous networking, and religious fundamentalism all facilitate successful adaptation to the environment. More than a theoretical analysis, Desert Patriarchy provides an intimate glimpse into the daily lives of these people, showing how they have taken refuge in the desert to escape religious persecution, the forced secular education of their children, and economic and political marginalization. It particularly sheds light on the ironic autonomy of women within a patriarchal system, showing how fundamentalist women in Chihuahua are finding numerous creative ways to access power and satisfaction in a society structured to subordinate and even degrade them. Desert Patriarchy richly expands the literature on nontraditional religious movements as it enhances our understanding of how environment can shape society. It offers unique insights into women's status in patriarchal communities and provides a new way of looking at similar communities worldwide. |
Contents
List of Illustrations | |
Acknowledgments XV | |
Mexican muralla home in Colonia Juárez 76 | |
Copyright | |
23 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley Janet Bennion Limited preview - 2004 |
Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley Janet Bennion Limited preview - 2004 |
Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley Janet Bennion Limited preview - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
adaptation Allred group Altkolonier American Anglo Anglo colonies authority Babylon behavior Bennion boys brother Capulin Casas Grandes Celestial Celestial Kingdom cheese Chihuahua Chihuahuan Desert Christ circumscriptive Colonia Dublan Colonia Juárez Colonia LeBaron colonists converts cultural David Dayer Derek desert environment desert patriarchy dress Dublan economic Elisabeth Ervil family kingdom farm father female network fundamentalism gender roles girls Hispanic husband ideology isolation Jeff Eaves Joanne Spafford Joel Johan Joseph Smith Katerina L'Academia labor land Latino LeBaron family lifestyle live longevity mainstream Maria married Mennonite Mexico milk modern Mormon Church Mormon colonies Mormon fundamentalist mother Neufeld Nuevo Casas Grandes orchards patriarchal Photo plural marriage polygynist polygyny priesthood relationships religious saints Salt Lake City secular social structure society solidarity spiritual town traditional unique United University Press Utah Verlan white Mexicans wife wives woman women young Zion