By Ben PMay 2, 2012
If you haven’t noticed, there have been a plethora of fantastic books on Mormon history in the past few years. This year is no exception, and we have two fabulous and long-awaited books coming out this September, both written by friends of JI.
The first is Spencer Fluhman’s A Peculiar People: Anti-Mormonism and the Making of Religion in Nineteenth-Century America (University of North Carolina Press). Fluhman, formerly in BYU’s Religion Department but has since made the move to the history faculty, served as a personal mentor for each of the five founding members of JI, and I think several of us credit him for our interest in academic Mormon history; I can remember many of us excitedly passing around digital copies of his dissertation on which this book is based. His several articles that have led to the book are all fascinating and sophisticated–including one that earned MHA’s best article award–so we can be assured that the book will be tremendous. Here is the book’s synopsis:
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By Ben PMay 1, 2012
If you are a fan of the combustible blend of religion and politics that has played a large role in American history, then today is your Christmas. Religion & Politics, an online journal run by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, was launched this morning with a plethora of fascinating and sophisticated content. General information about the journal can be found here, and you can see that it boasts an impressive and wide-ranging staff and board. Our own Max Mueller serves as the associate editor, so we at JI like to claim a personal connection with the project.
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By Ben PApril 17, 2012
In today’s age, when the internet fosters a close-knit community with immediate access to news and information, reactions to new scholarship come at a blistering speed. Most academic journals are now available in digital form, scholarly organizations maintain frequently updated websites, and the blogging world makes it possible to discuss new ideas and research within minutes after they appear. In past decades, if one were to read an article in, say, Journal of Mormon History and wanted to write a response or rebuttal, the only option would be to write and mail a letter-to-the-editor and, if it’s accepted, wait several months before it appears. While these letters will still play an important role for many journals, their snail-like pace can often be too slow for today’s twitterworld.
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By ChristopherApril 4, 2012
Some of you may have already seen the new column at Patheos.com’s Mormon Portal launched last week. The brainchild of two JI bloggers, Peculiar People aims to provide “commentary on culture, politics, the humanities, sports, the arts, and so on through the lens of Mormonism.” Featuring a talented team of contributors—including our own Ben P, Matt B, Ryan T, Max M, and myself, along with present and prior JI (guest) bloggers Rachel Cope, Heidi Harris, Rachael Givens, and David Howlett and a whole slew of other brilliant scholars of Mormon history and culture (Patrick Mason, Susanna Morrill, Taylor Petrey, Richard Livingston, Kate Holbrook, Seth Perry, Xarissa Holdaway, Emily Belanger, and Alan Hurst)—the column will appear twice weekly (Monday and Wednesday). We hope to attract both Mormon and non-Mormon readers, and invite those of you who follow JI regularly to check in over there occasionally, too.
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By March 8, 2012
We’re thrilled to announce that after an excellent stint as a guest blogger, Amanda Hendrix-Komoto has agreed to join the JI as our newest permablogger. If you haven’t yet, check out her provocative post on bodies and the history of Mormon girls and her more autobiographical reflections on studying Mormon history and the labels we use to describe ourselves and our “Mormon” subjects. And then please join us in welcoming Amanda to the Juvenile Instructor!
By March 5, 2012
We’re excited to announce that Andrea Radke-Moss has agreed to join the JI as our newest permablogger! Please join us in giving her a warm welcome.
Andrea G. Radke-Moss is a professor of history at Brigham Young University-Idaho, but currently on a two-year leave of absence to be home with her two later-in-life babies. Her book, Bright Enoch, a history of coeducation at land-grant universities in the 19th century West, was published with the University of Nebraska Press in 2008. Since then, she has published numerous chapters on women in the Great Plains, Mormon women at the Chicago World?s Fair, and women in higher education in the West. She is a contributor to the current Women of Faith series by Deseret Book. She is currently researching elite Mormon women?s and men? birthday celebrations in the 19th-century, and Mormon women?s experiences with violence in Missouri.
By February 28, 2012
Please join us in welcoming our latest guest blogger: Andrea Radke-Moss.
Andrea G. Radke-Moss is a professor of history at Brigham Young University-Idaho, but currently on a two-year leave of absence to be home with her two later-in-life babies. Her book, Bright Enoch, a history of coeducation at land-grant universities in the 19th century West, was published with the University of Nebraska Press in 2008. Since then, she has published numerous chapters on women in the Great Plains, Mormon women at the Chicago World’s Fair, and women in higher education in the West. She is a contributor to the current Women of Faith series by Deseret Book. She is currently researching elite Mormon women’s and men’ birthday celebrations in the 19th-century, and Mormon women’s experiences with violence in Missouri.
By ChristopherFebruary 23, 2012
As a reminder to those interested, this weekend (Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25) at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy is sponsoring what is being billed as a “groundbreaking event” intended to “facilitate a conversation of the ‘mind and heart’ that will set the standard for how members of religious communities can discuss differences in a way that does not compromise intellect or integrity, but is also sincere and empathetic.” Entitled “At the Crossroads, Again: Mormon and Methodist Protestant Encounters in the Nineteenth and Twenty-First Centuries,”* featured presenters include a number of well-known and recognized scholars of Mormon and Protestant history, theology, hymnody, politics, gender and sexuality, and social activism, including David Campbell, David McAllister-Wilson, Kristine Haglund, Eileen Guenther, Terryl Givens, Kathleen Flake, Elaine Heath, Robert Bennett, and Warner Woodworth, plus many more. A full schedule is available here and brief biographies of the several presenters here.
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By February 13, 2012
Please join us in welcoming our latest guest blogger, Amanda Hendrix-Komoto, PhD student doing some fascinating research who blogs at Scholaristas. Here’s a short biographical intro:
Amanda Hendrix-Komoto is a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan, where she studies the American West, Comparative Colonialism, and British History. She is also a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned a Masters degree in education while teaching elementary school, and the College of Idaho. Her current project juxtaposes Mormon missionary work in Britain with that in the Pacific to understand the dynamics of race, gender, and class in these two respective fields of labor. She is also interested in the development of Mormon feminism in the nineteenth century and its connections to the Mormon missionary project. Finally, Amanda is a connoisseur of Mormon kitsch and collects Mormon missionary action figures, Book of Mormon board games, and Mormon children?s books.
Welcome, Amanda! We look forward to your contributions!
By ChristopherFebruary 13, 2012
For those of you, like myself, who have used and benefitted from the wonderful Mormon History Database—a regularly updated online bibliography of all articles, books, theses, and dissertations in the field—maintained by Mike Hunter at BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library, please consider taking 5 minutes to participate in the following survey:
https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eDQUjvbRILWwkmg
Many thanks!
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