Juvenile Instructor

The Top Books in Mormon History/Studies

By David G.March 28, 2009

Periodically, historians conduct polls among themselves to determine the state of the field. I recently asked a couple dozen youngish historians what were, in their opinions, the top five books in Mormon history/studies today. By “youngish” I mean under 40 and by “historian” I mean someone with academic training in history or a related discipline (I also included a couple ‘nacle participants who do not have academic training in history but are probably better read in Mormon history than most historians).

Gendering the Memory of the Haun’s Mill Massacre

By David G.March 27, 2009

So, I am more than a little embarrassed that almost all of Women’s History month has passed and the JI has not published even one post on women and Mormonism. I was hoping to put together a more analytical post on how gender shaped some of the early Mormon narratives and poems written after the expulsion from Missouri, but that’s a project that will have to wait for now. But here is an Eliza R. Snow poem that describes the Haun’s Mill massacre. How does Snow use gender to shape the memory of the massacre?

New Guest Blogger: Brant E.

By David G.March 17, 2009

I’m pleased to introduce JI readers to an old friend of mine from BYU, Brant E., who will be guesting with us for a couple of weeks. Here’s Brant’s bio:

I only recently discovered a deep-interest in Mormon history and have been frantically trying to learn as much as I can. I thank the contributors at the JI for keeping me current with some of the current thoughts in Mormon Studies. Currently, I am in the final semester of my MA in American Studies at Penn State. I received a BA also in American Studies from BYU in ’06. My thesis explores the motivation of Mormon soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

Let’s welcome Brant.

Facebook Us.

By David G.March 13, 2009

I recently put one of my profs on the spot. He was bragging to the class about how he’s such great friends with the early American historian Alan Taylor, but when I asked if he was friends with Taylor on Facebook, my prof turned red, lowered his head, and confessed that Taylor had rejected his friend request (ok, not really, my prof said he didn’t have a facebook account . . . yet). Anyway, check the JI out on Facebook and become our fan.

http://apps.new.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/the_juvenile_instructor_a_mormon_history_blog/

Mormonism in Howe’s What Hath God Wrought, Part 2 (Concluded)

By David G.March 7, 2009

In my previous post on Howe’s What Hath God Wrought, I discussed Howe’s treatment of Mormon history from the 1820s through 1838. This post will complete my analysis of Howe by examining his discussion of Nauvoo, the exodus, and early Utah history. Let me just reiterate the point of my earlier post-Howe, unlike other historians who treat Mormonism in synthesis histories, has taken the time to get the details right and to engage contemporary Mormon scholarship. Just as he situated early Mormonism in Chapter 8 (“Pursuing the Millennium”) with other millenarian groups in the Early Republic, Howe in Chapter 18 (“Westward the Star of Empire”) includes Nauvoo and Utah within the wider contexts of Manifest Destiny, California, Oregon, and the Mexican-American War.

Mormons as “Natural Storytellers” and Blogging as Gathering

By David G.March 4, 2009

You’ll see on our sidebar that Religion Dispatches has done a follow-up article on the debate over the relationship between Mormon Mom blogs and the ‘nacle. While I believe that the reporter misread the debate that occurred over her initial article (I’m not sure many people were really arguing that Mommy Blogs should be excluded from the ‘nacle, but rather that the initial article had ignored and obscured the origins of the ‘nacle), I’m not all that eager to revisit that debate. Rather, I’m interested in interrogating some of the other claims made in the two Religion Dispatches articles.

“As of now I am somewhat stumped”: History Detective Robin Jensen Speaks

By David G.March 1, 2009

The Mormon Times has a nice writeup summarizing Robin Jensen’s presentation at last Friday’s

Liberty to the Downtrodden

By David G.February 22, 2009

kane-yale Many readers have no doubt heard of Matt Grow’s new book, Liberty to the Downtrodden: Thomas L. Kane, Romantic Reformer, and most have probably seen Matt’s posts over at Big Brown. But, it’s not every year that a book written by a Mormon scholar, that treats Mormon history prominently, gets published by Yale University Press. This is a big deal, folks, so there really is no such thing as too much promotion in this case. We expect to have a full review of the work posted at the JI within the next few weeks. But here’s a “tide over” from Joe Cannon’s review of the work in the Mormon Times:

Larry Miller, RIP

By David G.February 20, 2009

A great patron of Mormon history has passed on today, Larry Miller. He is perhaps best known for owning the Utah Jazz and several car dealerships in the state. But to me and many of my blogmates, his generosity is what made five of the best years of my life possible.

Larry EchoHawk’s Mormonism, Casinos, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs

By David G.February 13, 2009

Word leaked out on January 23 that the Obama administration was vetting BYU law professor Larry EchoHawk for a potential nomination as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs. Echohawk is well-known in Indian Country for his advocacy for various tribal groups, and has served as an Idaho State Representative and Idaho Attorney General. EchoHawk’s relative, John, was one of the founders of the Native American Rights Fund, a major Indian law firm. If appointed, EchoHawk would not be the first Mormon Assistant Secretary of the Interior (H. Rex Lee served in the position in the 1950s), but he would likely be the highest-ranking American Indian Latter-day Saint in government service.

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