By March 19, 2008
Graduate school provides rare opportunities to find obscure references to Mormonism in texts one would otherwise never think to look at. These sources often provide interesting insights, usually alongside flawed analysis. Constance Rourke’s American Humor: A Study of the National Character is one such source.
By March 19, 2008
I recieved the following this morning:
By March 18, 2008
From H-Religion:
The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis will sponsor a conference entitled:
“Mormons and American Life”
Saturday, April 12, 2008
By March 18, 2008
As I have been reading massive amounts of books on American History in preparation for my first PhD Comprehensive exam, I have started to ponder about the ways which historians have examined Mormonism as part of larger narrative in American History, Western History, the History of American Religion, or the History of Religion in general. I was reading through Battle Cry of Freedom the other day and was surprised to find that McPherson placed Joseph Smith and Mormonism into his narrative as part of the Western expansion that preceded the Civil War. His coverage isn’t extensive, but he does track the Mormons from New York to Ohio to Missouri and then to Salt Lake City. [1]
By March 18, 2008
In 1874, Brigham Young assigned Daniel Webster Jones, Mormon convert and noted rescuer of the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company of 1856, to lead a group of missionaries into Mexico–the first expedition to that country by the Latter-day Saints.[1] At the time of this call, Young explained to Jones “that he would like to have some extracts from the Book of Mormon translated to send to the people of Mexico,” and asked Jones and Henry Brizzee to begin the translation.
By March 17, 2008
In 1892, as the Jubilee Celebration of the Relief Society approached, Elvira S. Barney authored an article in the Woman’s Exponent entitled “Fifty Years Past, and One Hundred Years Hence.”
By March 14, 2008
After having shared some of my personal connections to the story of Japanese Americans in Utah and Idaho and to set up a future post about my own research which looks at the experience through the eyes of these racialized ?others,? I thought it might be nice to summarize one of my favorite articles by Leonard Arrington.[1] Although it looks like someone is giving a paper at the next MHA conference on this topic, Arrington?s essay represents one of the only attempts by a historian to explain how the World War II internment of Japanese Americans affected Utah and how the unique dynamics of Mormonism affected Utah?s relationship to these Nikkei.[2]
By March 14, 2008
Dear readers, the Juvenile Instructor has been nominated for three Niblets (the ‘nacle equivalent of the Oscars, etc.). Here are the categories:
Best Blog
Best Big Blog
Best New Blog
The competition is intense in each category, so please vote for us!
By March 13, 2008
This is just a note to point interested readers in the direction of the latest issue of Mormon Historical Studies which contains, among other wonders, a candid and fascinating interview with Thomas Alexander (conducted by former Alexander student David Hall). Even for those of us fortunate enough to count Tom as a mentor, there is plenty of material here that he hasn’t spoken much about before. Check it out.
By March 13, 2008
I am currently trying to situate Joseph Smith within the larger American romantic movement, and am hoping for some help. While there are a lot of similarities between Smith and the likes of Emerson, I also agree with Clark in believing that these similarities can be easily overstated (see here and here). While both hoped to collapse the distance between the sacred and the profane, I just can’t get over Joseph’s institutional thought. To me, while they both wanted to bring people into the presence of God, Emerson focused on self-reliance and nature while Joseph utilized the priesthood. It seems like for the early Mormons romanticism merely serv
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