What’s in a name? Agrarian

From the beginning, the New Agrarian School has been committed to developing a place of learning and doing that includes a wide variety of craft disciplines, with particular emphasis on crafts that are essential for living simply with a close relationship to the land and community that sustain us. The current emphasis on blacksmithing reflects the practical reality that you have to start somewhere, and the founder here happens to be a blacksmith. In choosing a name for the fledgling school, we did not want to limit the school’s future to blacksmithing, but rather explore that craft in relation to its sister crafts that contribute to a well- rounded, self-reliant community. The term Agrarian fits the concept quite well, and the school aspires to offering diverse programs worthy of that name.

 

Agrarian is a word that doesn’t see too much use in today’s modern world, so it is worth attempting to provide a working definition here. Basically, agrarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of small communities comprised primarily of small, independent farmers. It is rooted in the view that moral strength in individuals and the ethical foundations of community are closely tied to the land and its working by members of the community. Self- reliance is highly valued, as is cooperation between community members. Simplicity is an esteemed virtue and agrarians are devoted to technologies that are consistent with community values and the natural limits of the land. Agrarian philosophy can be thought of as being the opposite of highly centralized, industrial economic model. It is by definition and design, small in scale and local in scope.


Since mankind’s emergence from the stone age, the working of iron has been central to human society. Especially in its role in the making of tools to work the land, and to support the other crafts needed for households and community. Practiced at an appropriate scale, blacksmithing can be a life affirming practice, and one essential to nearly all simple agricultural societies. It is therefore appropriate to begin the school’s voyage by offering workshops in this foundational craft.


Both blacksmithing, and the greater agrarian philosophy in which it is embedded offer a practical and powerful alternative to the highly technical modern society in which we find ourselves immersed. Agrarianism is quintessentially American, with one of its most prominent advocates being Thomas Jefferson. Of course agrarian philosophy long predates Jefferson, and many thinkers and writers since our country’s founding have embraced it: Henry David Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, John Steinbeck, and Wendell Berry among them. We would argue that far from being a relic of the past, agrarianism is poised to model a future that is not only possible, but necessary in the face of rampant growth and our increasing recognition of ecological limits. This school hopes to play some small part in cultivating the transition to a technologically sane future by helping to empower people from all walks of life to move in that direction. And simultaneously, we revel in the joy experienced when we connect our minds and hands to the good work of living a moral and productive life.