We sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, and that you have found things that bring you joy in these uncertain times. Creating a meaningful goal can be one of the best ways to invigorate life and look ahead with hope. And we have a boost to help you get there.
MWHIT is thrilled to offer two research grants annually to forward work in Mormon women’s history, one for a student and one for an independent scholar. In reviewing academic articles and books about Mormon history from 2019, we noted a serious lack of contribution from women authors. This year we would like to focus these funds to help women scholars submit their work for publication. Whether these funds are devoted to childcare to allow blocks of time to finish writing, travel for a final research trip, editing assistance to help dissolve anxiety–use these funds for whatever that last hurdle is that has been stopping you from sending your work to academic journals and presses for publication. The work of women scholars desperately needs to be shared, and that means YOU or someone you know! Forward this email to a friend who may also be interested. The deadline to apply for an MWHIT research grant is Friday, May 1, 2020.
Click here for details on the Student Grant and here for details on the Independent Scholar grant.
Thank you to all who have supported our bazaars and other fundraising efforts to bring this goal to fruition!
In 2011 and 2014, our own Ben P. set out a theoretical Mormon history “canon” or “comprehensive exams list.” Here’s what he wrote in 2014: “It is designed as a template for a grad student’s theoretical comprehensive exam list (though I should again emphasize that I’d think it’d be a stupid idea for a grad student to dedicate a portion of a comprehensive exam merely to Mormonism). Thus, books need to cover a broad swath of topics, chronologies, and approaches in order to be inclusive, but they should also match a particular level of quality.”
With all of this indoor time and time to finish long-thought-of-but-not-written blog posts, I decided to try my hand at it. While Ben stuck to naming 25 books to orient one to the field, I went to 42 and wrote a list for those studying American history. I plan to write one for religious studies, but we will see what time I have to do that in future months.
IMPORTANT: This reflects my own interests and biases. It is not definitive. If I didn’t include your book or your cousin’s best friend’s bowling coach’s book that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it. These are introductory books that set the table for future study in American history. Other titles may appear on other lists.
The William A. Wilson Folklore Archive at Brigham Young University’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections is collecting the stories of Latter-day Saint missionaries who have served during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you or someone you know may be interested in sharing their story, please contact the curator, Christine Blythe at Christine_blythe [at] byu [dot] edu. The interviews will become a part of a broader collection of Latter-day Saint experiences with COVID-19. Please help us document this unique era in world and Latter-day Saint history.
Sarah M.S. Pearsall’s argument in Polygamy: An Early American History is succinct: Polygamy “is a form of marriage and therefore, like monogamy, a matter of public concern structuring societies, cultures, and lineages” (7). She repeatedly, and helpfully, drives this home as she documents and analyzes arguments for and against plural marriage/polygyny/polygamy over three centuries, from early Spanish colonization in New Spain, New France, King Phillip’s War, and among the enslaved in eighteenth-century British colonies before moving on toward the Latter-day Saint practice of plural marriage in antebellum America. She proves, beyond all reasonable doubt, that, “Contrary to popular opinion, American polygamy did not start with the Mormons” (1).
The Book of Mormon Studies Association (BoMSA) is pleased
to announce its fourth annual meeting, to be held October 9–10, 2020, 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 keynote speakers will be John Durham
Peters (Yale University) and Nancy Bentley (University of Pennsylvania). We
will also hold a special plenary session on the Maxwell Institute’s Brief
Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon series in conjunction with
its full release in 2020.
We therefore invite the submission of papers and
proposals for inclusion in the 2020 conference program. Note that newcomers to
the organization are required to submit a full paper for consideration, while
those who have presented at any of the previous conferences are free to submit
a proposal or a paper. Papers submitted should be no longer than 4000 words,
while proposals should be between 500 and 750 words.
The submission deadline is June 1, 2020. All submissions
should be sent to bookofmormonsa@gmail.com. Be sure to include “Conference
Submission” in the subject line of the submission email.
We particularly encourage the participation of graduate
students. To that end, BoMSA will continue to host a special lunch for graduate
students in attendance, free of charge, in the hopes of creating networking
opportunities.
Hotel space for the conference has already been secured
at a reduced rate at the USU Campus Inn. Once acceptance letters have been sent
out in June, rooms can be booked online through the “Conference” page at
www.bomsa.org.
KEYNOTES: John
Durham Peters (Yale University) + Nancy Bentley (University of Pennsylvania)
DATE: October 9–10,
2020
LOCATION: Utah
State University, Inn and Conference Center
As millions of us throughout the world move into voluntary isolation to avoid spreading COVID-19 I thought it would be nice to recommend a few podcast episodes to download to pass the time. Please add your own in the comments!
An excerpt from an interview with our own Benjamin Park, Assistant Professor of History at Sam Houston State University, whose book on politics and polygamy in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo is soon to be published with Liveright/Norton. Park received his PhD in History from Cambridge University in 2014. He is also co-editor of the Mormon Studies Review. For the full interview, head over to Kurt Manwaring’s site, From the Desk.
What surprised you during your research for Kingdom of Nauvoo?
68th Annual Utah State Historical Society Conference
THEME: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITES
September 25, 2020
The Utah State Historical Society invites you to attend its 68th annual conference on September 25, 2020.
In 1920, with the passage of the nineteenth amendment, women throughout the United States won the right to vote. In recognition of that event, the 2020 conference will focus on the question of rights and responsibilityin Utah history. Those who have sought legal, political, and social equality have often had to disentangle ideologies, legal doctrines, and established opinion. The push for women’s suffrage is a prime example of this process.
Other topics to be addressed may include women’s rights, Native voting rights, religious and secular liberty, disability rights, LGBTQ rights, questions of family law, desegregation, free speech, property rights, equal access to education, conscientious objection, and protection of labor. The conference promises to present other interpretations of rights and responsibility, as they pertain to Utah history, to encourage a broad understanding of the topic.
Nestled in the
charming hills of northeastern Ohio, this “House of the Lord” stands
as a vivid reminder that Kirtland was once home to some of the 19th century’s
most successful community builders. Inspired by the beliefs and practices of
the earliest Christians, followers of Joseph Smith Jr. gathered in Kirtland and
built their first temple between 1833 and 1836. The Kirtland Temple stood at
the center of community life for more than 2,000 believers by 1838. Within a
year, all but 100 were gone. The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic
Landmark.
Consider an internship at Kirtland Temple, for a rewarding
and fun experience where you will:
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Don Tate on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “Very well done and richly deserved! I am most proud of Jenny and how far she has come with her life, her scholarship, and her…”
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Mark Staker on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “Jenny was always generous in sharing her knowledge. She was not only an exceptional educator (who also taught her colleagues along the way), but she…”
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Kathy Cardon on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “I worked in the Church's Historical department when Jenny was in the Museum. I always enjoyed our interactions. Reading this article has been a real…”
Don Tate on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “Very well done and richly deserved! I am most proud of Jenny and how far she has come with her life, her scholarship, and her…”
Ben P on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “My favorite former boss and respected current historian!”
Hannah J on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “I really enjoyed this! Going to be thinking about playing the long game for a while. Thanks Amy and Jenny.”