3S
NEWS & EVENTS
2026.02.09
- Education and Research
- Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Public Liaison Department
notice
Liberal Arts and Sciences Education Center Tomoji Odori Professor's translation of "The Complete History of the Amish: From the Reformation to the Present Day" has been published.
"The Complete History of the Amish: From the Reformation to the Present Day" (Akashi Shoten, published on January 21, 2026)
Written by Stephen M. Nord, translated Tomoji Odori
Written by Stephen M. Nord, translated Tomoji Odori
Translator's introduction
The Amish live in the countryside of the eastern and midwestern United States, avoiding modern civilization. Their simple life of using lamps instead of electric lights and riding horse-drawn carriages (horses and buggies) instead of cars is relatively well known in Japan. However, little attention has been paid to the fact that their roots are in Switzerland, and that they were persecuted for non-resistance, non-violence, and refusal to serve in the military, and that they fled to North America through Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine. This book is dedicated to revealing exactly such history, and it can be said that it records the history of the "other dimension" of Western history that has been forgotten while many people are fascinated by the victors, the powerful, and the majority.
A word from the translator
The author is a leading expert in Amish research. I have a research cooperation relationship with the translator. Therefore, the author wrote an "Addendum to the Japanese Edition" for Japanese readers that conveys the trends of the Amish until 2025. In that respect, this book can literally be said to be the latest Amish research book. A large work of 400 pages. You will find out the "all" of the Amish.
- Jinbundo (Asahi Shimbun) Book details and introduction articles