“The Amish Way of Aging: The Dawdyhaus and the Grace of Life” by Dr. Claire Marie Mensack
April 1 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Lander University Community Lecture Series: “The Amish Way of Aging: The Dawdyhaus and the Grace of Life” by Dr. Claire Marie Mensack
Date: Tuesday, April 1
Time: 5:30 – 7:00 pm (refreshments and libations available @ 5:30 pm, lecture begins @ 6:00 pm)
Address: The Arts Center of Greenwood, 120 Main Street, Greenwood, SC 29646
Admission: FREE & OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY
Description: In collectivist cultures, such as the Amish and other plain Anabaptist communities, the good of the community is the focus, with the family as a microcosm of that larger collectivist culture. In these families, older members often remain at home or near the main family dwelling in what is known as the dawdyhaus. This is the separate or sometimes attached dwelling that aging family members chose to live in where one of their adult children lives with their own families. The desire to move into the dawdyhaus and the responsibilities of adult children assuming greater household roles is not a forced responsibility, but one assumed by a sense of yielding, submission, and grace. Among the Amish and other plain Anabaptist communities, this sense of yielding is referred to as gelassenheit. As such, the dawdyhaus is not only a noun in terms of space but also as a verb in terms of daily living and life.
Biography: Claire Marie Mensack is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Lander University. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of South Carolina along with a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from USC’s School of Medicine. Additionally, she earned a graduate certificate in Gerontology and one in Psychiatric Rehabilitation. She earned an M.A. degree in Health and Physical Education and a B.A. degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on rural culture, psychosocial health, and wellbeing and how these intersect with one another.
Event Contact: artscentergwd@gmail.com, 864.388.7800 / Mark Rollins, mrollins@lander.edu
