A study of recent Hutterite outmigration in South Dakota

This study focused on outmigration from the Schmiedeleut Hutterites of South Dakota. This communal Anabaptist group went from a time of rapid population growth in their first century in South Dakota into stagnancy between 1990 and 2000. The study used aspects of Kanter's commitment mechanisms and Hechter's dependence factors to correlate specific social practices with outmigration patterns.;The study followed several divisions among the Schmiedeleut, from the expulsion of the Arnoldleut (Bruderhof) through a schism that divided the Schmiedeleut Hutterites into two groups.;Since Hutterites live communally in colonies, the colonies were examined for self-sufficiency, distances from cities and towns, distances to the neighboring colonies, boundary controls and the strength of personal ties. The researcher included surveys from colony ministers, demographic studies, and interviews with out-migrant Hutterites. He found a direct correlation between the distance to the nearest neighboring colony and outmigration, and a direct correlation between weak boundary controls and outmigration.