God’s Blessings and Labor Crises: On Ammon Bundy’s Theology

By November 30, 2018


Ammon Bundy, the erstwhile hero of the loosely organized anti-government militia movement in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada who engaged in a 41-day standoff with federal authorities in 2016, made something of a splash on Tuesday when he weighed in on the latest reports of border officials tear gassing asylum seekers at the Mexico-U.S. border in a 17-minute long video streamed live on his facebook page.

To the surprise of many news reporters and his own supporters, Bundy defended the refugees, criticized the actions of the Trump administration, and dismissed popular conservative conspiracy theories regarding the immigrants as “a bunch of garbage”:

“[Trump] has basically called them all criminals and said they’re not coming in here. It seems that there’s been this group stereotype. But what about those who have come here for reasons of need? … What about the fathers,the mothers, the children, who have come here and are willing to go through the process to apply for asylum so they can come into this country and benefit from not having to be oppressed continually by criminals?”

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Free Church History Library Workshop: A Day with Archivists and Other Specialists (January 11, 2019)

By November 26, 2018


Our friends at the Church History Library have asked that we share this forthcoming event with the JI community. I think it will be of a lot of interest to students, independent scholars, and others getting acquainted with the Church History Library, its holdings, and the Church it represents. The event will be all day on January 11, 2019, which will include lunch, a meet and greet with Church History Consultants and MHA Officers, and individualized consultations with Church History Library Employees.  Applications are due by December 31, 2018.

The purpose of the event, beyond helping students, scholars, and other specialists become familiar with the holdings of the Library, is to help build connections between the Library’s staff and its patrons. The Library wants to make its collections available to those who will most benefit from them. While some materials are restricted, there are often other resources that patrons may use in the course of their research. The archivists and other specialists will help each participants find materials from the Library to use in their research.

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Book of Abraham Manuscripts Event

By November 14, 2018


Facsimile, Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos-A, between 238 and ca. 153 BC; Egyptian Papyri, LDS Church History Librayr

Lecture: “A Window into Joseph Smith’s Translation: An Exploration of the Book of Mormon Manuscripts” presented by Robin Scott Jensen

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Assembly Hall (50 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150)

The Joseph Smith Papers is pleased to invite you to a special presentation in conjunction with the publication of Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Robin Jensen, co-editor of the volume and project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers, will present a lecture on 15 November 2018.

Revelations and Translations, Volume 4 tracks the development of the Book of Abraham from the time Joseph Smith and others purchased Egyptian papyri in 1835 through the publication of the Book of Abraham and its accompanying illustrations in the church newspaper Times and Seasons in 1842. Introductions in the volume situate Joseph Smith’s translation process in the broader context of the nineteenth-century fascination with Egyptian history and culture, of his own effort to reveal truths from the ancient past, and of his other translation efforts.


CfP: WHA 2019 in Vegas UPDATE: Deadline Extended

By November 13, 2018


What happens in the West doesn’t stay in the West!

The Western History Association will be holding its 2019 meeting in Las Vegas, October 16-19, 2019. The conference theme is “What happens in the West doesn’t stay in the West” and the organizers are eager to include panels that seek to connect western history and the histories and historiographies of other parts of the nation, continent, and world. 

You can access the full call for papers here (https://www.westernhistory.org/2019). The deadline for panel and paper proposals is December 1, 2018. [UPDATE: The deadline for panel and paper proposals for the WHA conference has been extended to December 5, 2018.] The WHA is committed to promoting the full and equitable inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ people, and people with various ranks and career paths on this conference program. The Program Committee will encourage sessions to include diverse sets of participants, addressing gender diversity, racial and ethnic diversity, sexual diversity, religious diversity, disability-based diversity, and/or LGBTQ diversity.

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MHA Deadline Quickly Approaching

By November 12, 2018


The Mormon History Association’s annual conference will be in SaltLake City, June 7-10, 2018. The topic for next year’s conference is “Isolation and Integration” and the deadline for proposals is this week—Thursday the 15th. Find the Call for Papers here.

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THE ARRINGTON CHAIR: A Reflection on What Could Go into Selecting a Mormon Studies Chair

By November 8, 2018


We’re happy to welcome friend of the Juvenile Instructor, Chris Blythe.

Christopher James Blythe is a Research Associate at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University. He is a graduate of the Religious Studies program at Utah State University and previously held a predoctoral teaching fellowship in the department.

 

Over the next few weeks, the three finalists for the Leonard J. Arrington Chair in Mormon History and Culture will have visited Utah State University and soon thereafter the hiring committee will make their decision. Their choice will have a far-reaching impact on the Religious Studies program there and, also, because of the legitimacy and funding that such a hire bestows, on the field of Mormon Studies at large. Currently, there are Mormon Studies chairs at Utah State University (est. 2006), Claremont Graduate University (est. 2008), and the University of Virginia

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Job Ad: Folklore Archives Specialist at Harold B. Lee Library

By November 5, 2018


From our friends at the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT:

Job Summary:

The mission of the Folklore Archives Specialist is to 1) identify and acquire, 2) describe and organize, and 3) provide reference service for the folklore materials held in the William A. Wilson Folklore Archives within the L. Tom Perry Special Collections.

Essential functions (include, but are not limited to):

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MWHIT Lecture: Colleen McDannell on Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy

By November 4, 2018


The Mormon Women’s History Initiative Team has asked Colleen McDannell to speak and answer questions on her new book, Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy, on Thursday, November 8. 2018 at the University of Utah. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend!

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