By J StuartJanuary 29, 2018
Last year, Kris W. and I hosted a Mormon Studies Publication Workshop at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.
The workshop helped to create a sense of community among young scholars from a variety of places and disciplines while providing helpful feedback for developing projects. We were especially glad to receive so many excellent submissions on race, gender, and sexuality and were grateful to the Danforth Center for hosting scholars from California to Massachussetts. You can read more about the meeting here.
This year we will host another workshop on June 6, 2018 as a pre-conference option at the Mormon History Association conference in Boise, Idaho. The workshop, “Beyond the New Mormon History: Trends and Methodologies,” will be held Thursday, June 6 from 9 AM-5 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 that is interested in Mormon Studies in any discipline may apply to participate in the workshop. Women and less represented groups are especially encouraged to apply and will receive preference in the selection process. The paper you propose to present must touch on Mormonism in some way (comparative studies are welcomed). Participants should be physically present in Boise to participate in the workshop.
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By J StuartJanuary 23, 2018
The Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah is proud to offer its annual fellowship in the name of Marlin K. Jensen. Our Marlin K. Jensen Scholar and Artist in Residence Program hosts prominent scholars with expertise in Mormon Studies or renowned artists who explore the relationship between faith and art in their work.
Marlin Keith Jensen was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), serving as the official Church Historian and Recorder from 2005 to 2012. During his tenure, Jensen built bridges between the Mormon Church and the academy and worked to give the Church’s History Department international range, make its holdings more accessible to researchers, and publish primary materials. Jensen was made an emeritus general authority in 2012.
The fellowship is flexible in terms of time commitment and tasks. Applicants are asked to submit a clear plan for their time as fellow, up to a semester in length, which broadens our campus and community’s understanding of Mormonism, its people, and institutions. Academic as well as independent scholars are encouraged to apply.
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By J StuartJanuary 23, 2018
The Tanner Humanities Center will award a graduate fellowship in Mormon Studies for the 2018-19 academic year. The fellowship encourages, in all facets, the scholarly explorations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its people, values, history, culture, and institutions. This fellowship is designed to enable doctoral students of unusual ability and achievement to engaging in research and writing full time. Projects should focus on topics related to the history and/or culture of Mormonism. Eligible disciplines include: Communication, English, History, Languages, Law, Philosophy, and Political Science, among others.
Graduate students will have successfully passed their Ph.D. or qualifying exams, and completed all course work by the beginning of the fellowship period (August 2018).
Fellows will receive a stipend of $20,000 and a private office with computer and telephone in the Center. Fellows may retain other forms of internal and external support that do not interfere with their dissertation work.
Applications may be found at https://thc.utah.edu/fellowships/mormon-studies.php. The deadline for all materials is March 1, 2018. Please send applications and letters of recommendation to Beth James, Associate Director, at beth.james@utah.edu.
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By J StuartJanuary 22, 2018
Bryce Harper was the first Mormon to be compared to Lebron James. He was also the first Mormon to have a temper tantrum full of particular 4-letter words go viral. Bryce Harper also posed for ESPN’s The Body issue without a stitch of clothing on him.[i] He was, by any definition of the term in regards to styling and dress, immodest. Mormonism’s modesty culture encourages young people not to “use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When you dress immodestly, you send a message that is contrary to your identity as a son or daughter of God. You also send the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval.” Harper is tattooed, rocks a perfectly-coiffed modern hair-do, and his eyes sear into the viewer. His body may be objectified, but he is not a passive observer. Quite the contrary. His stance, eyes, and rippling pectorals denote physical and charismatic power. Most casual observers would not peg him for an active Latter-day Saint.
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By J StuartJanuary 21, 2018
The conference is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Brian Birch at brian.birch@uvu.edu or Boyd Petersen at boyd.petersen@uvu.edu
The relationship between science and religion has been among the most fiercely debated issues since the Copernican revolution displaced traditional wisdom regarding the nature of the cosmos. Some have argued for a sharp division of labor while others have sought to harmonize spiritual and empirical truths. From its beginnings, Mormonism has wrestled with the implications of modern science and has produced a variety of theological responses. This conference will explore the landscape of Mormon thought as it relates to the relationships between science, theology, scriptural narratives, and LDS authoritative discourse. It will also examine abiding questions of faith, reason, and doubt and the reactions against the intellectualizing forces that bear on the truth claims of Mormonism.
Thursday, February 22 UVU Classroom Building (CB-511)
1:00-2:15 Eugene England Memorial Lecture
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By J StuartJanuary 17, 2018
From the LDS Church Museum’s website:
The first black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were a vital part of the early history of the Church. They served missions and shared the gospel. As the Church moved west, they helped build Nauvoo and Winter Quarters and drove wagons across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. Once in the valley, they helped rescue the stranded Willie and Martin handcart companies, built roads and communities, and raised families in the Mormon settlements of the West.
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By J StuartJanuary 10, 2018
For no reason at all, here are the headlines, as they currently stand, for each LDS Church President who had an obituary published in the New York Times:
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By J StuartJanuary 3, 2018
President Thomas S. Monson, sixteenth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away last night surrounded by family in his Salt Lake City home from effects related to aging. We share our sympathy and support for his family and all those affected by his death, notably sixteen million or so Latter-day Saints.
There will be time for historical retrospectives at a later date. At this time, I thought it would be helpful to review how an LDS Church President is called and sustained by the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. This section is taken from the Mormon newsroom, I would encourage you to read the rest here. At the bottom of this post, I’ll share some helpful links on the historical development of succession in the LDS Church.
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By J StuartJanuary 1, 2018
Happy New Year from all of us at Juvenile Instructor! We enjoyed bringing you historical argument, book reviews, announcements, and our summer book club in 2017. We have several more exciting plans for 2018.
- New authors with historiographical expertise in areas we have neglected
- Roundtables on new books in Mormon history (including J. Stapley’s and Colleen McDannell’s new books)
- A series of posts on beginning to write a dissertation
- A series of posts on turning dissertations into books
- Q&As with scholars that teach Mormon history, from that that identify as Mormon historians and those that do not
- A March Madness-style bracket on the best articles in Mormon history
Be sure to follow us on social media or via email for updates! Following us on social media helps other to find us and helps us spread the word of news and notes from the world of Mormon history.
LINK TO SIGN UP FOR EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS OF POSTS
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
SUMMER BOOK CLUB
By J StuartDecember 22, 2017
The Mormon History Association (MHA) seeks to raise $5,000 to support scholars from outside the United States to travel to and participate in the Association’s annual conference in Boise, Idaho, on June 7-10, 2018. If you love Mormon history, this is an excellent opportunity to support the diversification and internationalization of our community of scholars! LINK HERE
MHA is making a concerted effort to diversify its membership and include scholars and students from around the globe in order to help expand our understanding of Mormon history outside of the United States. An annual fund of $5,000 will allow the association to subsidize the attendance and participation of scholars from Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and elsewhere, for whom the expense of traveling to the United States for an MHA conference is often prohibitive. We need the perspectives and knowledge these scholars can contribute, and ask for your help in elevating their voices.
The Mormon History Association is the preeminent scholarly organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of the Mormon past. As an independent, nondenominational, nonprofit organization, we welcome all who are interested in Mormon history. MHA’s flagship event is our annual conference, scheduled to occur next on June 7-10, 2018, in Boise, Idaho.
Please join us in this initiative to bring a greater international presence to the MHA 2018 conference. Contributions of every level are welcome. All donations are tax deductible. Our goal is to raise $5,000 by January 22.
Thank you for your support of the Mormon History Association and our increasingly global community of scholars and members!
DONATE HERE
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