Book Description

Defined less by geography than by demographic character, Block, Kansas, in many ways exemplifies the prevalent yet seldom-scrutinized ethnic, religion-based community of the rural midwest. Physically small, the town sprang up around four corners formed by crossroads. Spiritually strong and cohesive, it became the educational and cultural center for generations of German-Lutheran families. Block provided a religious and cultural oasis-a welcome transition for German-Lutheran immigrants faced with a new language and unfamiliar customs. Yet the tight bond between an ethnic society and a religion that shunned Americanism and the English language paradoxically slowed the transition and maintained a culturally isolated community well into the twentieth century. In Life at Four Corners, Carol Coburn analyzes the powerful combination of those ethnic and religious institutions that effectively resisted assimilation for nearly 80 years only to succumb to the influences of the outside world during the 1930s and 1940s. Emphasizing the formal and informal education provided by the church, school, and family, she examines the total process of how values, identities, and all aspects of culture were transmitted from generation to generation. "Few ethnic or community studies have focused on a 'village' community that defined itself less by geographic boundaries and more by ethnic and religious identity," writes Coburn. "The community's strong religious and ethnic identity, coupled with its homogeneity and rural isolation, provided a unique educational environment that was total, ongoing, and more pervasive than in most rural settings or ethnic urban environments." "This book is clearly and engagingly written. It opens a window on the inner life of an early rural settlement in Kansas and allows the reader to understand the values, fears, and beliefs of this important group of settlers. The author offers insight into the intersection of several variables, including gender, religion, and region."—Glenda Riley, author of The Female Frontier: A Comparative View of Women on the Prairie and the Plains.