Gertrude Enders Huntington, a prominent writer about the Anabaptist societies, will be speaking next Thursday afternoon in State College, Pennsylvania, as part of the community’s monthly First Thursday celebration. Her talk will be titled “My Amish Education: From Yale to Hired Girl to Grandmother.”
Huntington received her PhD from Yale and she is an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan. She has been doing research in Anabaptist communities—Amish, Hutterite, and Mennonite—since the 1950s. She is the author of numerous books that are landmark works in Anabaptist studies, including two that she co-authored with John A. Hostetler.
The Archives of the Penn State University Library acquired her papers in 2008. They include her published works, field notes, audiotapes, community histories, and other research materials. When they were combined with the John Hostetler papers that the Archives already owns, Penn State became an important center for research on Anabaptist studies. In addition, Huntington has investigated communal and intentional societies.
Her talk will be at 4:00 P.M. on November 5 in the Foster Auditorium of the Pattee Library on campus. The presentation will be free and open to the public.