CFP: USHS Conference

2022 CALL FOR PAPERS

Water at the Confluence of Past and Future

The Utah State Historical Society and Utah Division of State History invite proposals for papers, sessions, panels, or multi-media presentations for the 70th annual history conference this fall. Scholars, researchers, educators, students, and members of the public are encouraged to submit proposals that explore the connection of water to our collective past and future.

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Location: Provo Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, 101 West 100 North, Provo, Utah

Proposals Due: April 30, 2022

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CFP: Book of Mormon Studies Association 2022

Call for Papers

The Sixth Annual Meeting of

The Book of Mormon Studies Association

October 6–8, 2022

Utah State University

The Book of Mormon Studies Association (BoMSA) is pleased to announce its sixth annual meeting, to be held in person on October 6–8, 2022, at Utah State University. The event is sponsored by USU’s Department of Religious Studies and with thanks to Patrick Mason, the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture.

This annual event gathers a variety of scholars invested in serious academic study of the Book of Mormon. It has no particular theme but instead invites papers on any subject related to the Book of Mormon from any viable academic angle. This year’s two plenary guests will be Ann Taves (University of California Santa Barbara) and David Holland (Harvard Divinity School).

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MWHIT Scholarship (due May 1)

Book Review: Shields, Divergent Paths of the Restoration, 5th Edition

Thanks to K. Pollock for this helpful review!

Shields, Steven L. Divergent Paths of the Restoration: An Encyclopedia of the Smith–Rigdon Movement. 5thed. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2021. 1030 pp. Forward, bibliography, appendix, index. eBook: $9.99.

With an updated encyclopedia spanning 1,030 pages and around 500 entries, Steven L. Shields fifth edition of Divergent Paths of the Restoration: An Encyclopedia of the Smith–Rigdon Movement is a valuable scholarly resource. The book is too large for print, and publisher Signature Books is offering an affordable eBook-only version. While some may be tempted to skip the introductory pages, Shields lays out important principles for interpreting his book in a “Begin Here” section. Read it! Divergent Paths is not simply a book tracing how churches broke off from other churches. Shields uses the term “expression” as a neutral term for groups and/or individuals with unique perspectives about the Restoration and works to avoid taking sides.

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Call for Applicants: Mormon Studies Publication Workshop

On Thursday, June 2, 2022, the Fifth Annual Mormon Studies Publication Workshop will be held at Utah State University. You can read more about the 2017 meeting at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis here.

The workshop helped create a sense of community among young scholars from various institutions and disciplines while providing helpful feedback for developing projects. Workshopped papers from the past three years have become parts of books published by (or under contract with) Oxford University Press, University of Nebraska Press, and Routledge University Press; the Journal of Religion, the Journal of Mormon History, Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, completed dissertations, and other distinguished venues.

The workshop, “Frames: Scholarly Writing and Personal Introductions,” will be held Thursday, June 2 from 10:00 AM AM-3:30 PM. There will be no cost for the workshop beyond punctual arrival and rigorous intellectual engagement.

ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY

In a change from past years, anyone interested in Mormon Studies in any discipline may apply to participate in the workshop. Women, people of color, independent scholars, and other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Participants should be physically present in Logan, UT, to participate in the workshop.

To apply, please send the following application materials to joseph dot stuart at Utah dot edu and klwright at Princeton dot edu:

• Name and Email
• CV
• A 100-150-word description of what your scholarly/academic work on Mormonism entails
• Confirmation that you will be in Logan, UT

Anyone that does not submit each part of the application will not be considered for participation.

THE WORKSHOP:

This year, we will discuss the work and art of writing sharp introductions to scholarly work and framing one’s scholarship on Mormonism within larger academic fields. We will then examine introductions to scholarly articles and books to discuss what we might away from their examples and how to improve our own work.

After our morning discussion and the provided lunch, we will how to frame one’s scholarship in an elevator pitch and discuss the state of the field. There will be no peer review of writing this year.

Applications are due on April 20, 2022, and acceptance or rejection notices will be sent out by April 27, 2022. Please help us spread the word by social media and word-of-mouth!

Call for Papers: 2022 Joseph Smith Papers Conference [UPDATED]

From our friends at the Joseph Smith Papers Project:

UPDATE: We have extended the deadline for proposals to March 14, 2022. Notifications of acceptance will still be sent out on March 21.
To commemorate the release of volumes 12, 13, and 14 of the Documents series, the Joseph Smith Papers Project will host the sixth annual Joseph Smith Papers Conference on September 9, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the event that COVID-19 conditions prevent holding an in-person conference, digital options will be offered. The theme of the conference is “Texts and Contexts in Nauvoo.”

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