Happy almost New Year, folks! As a way of ushering in this new year, Spencer Stewart and I invite you to submit a proposal for a special issue of the Journal of Mormon History, called “Mormon History in the Digital Age.” We’re hoping that the issue will be inclusive of all kinds of contributions, hence the variety of submission categories below. If what you’re thinking of doesn’t seem to fit one of the categories, or if you’re unsure if your project would count, please email us! We’re happy to address any questions you might have before the proposal deadline. We hope you’re as excited as we are to highlight the digital work that exists within Mormon Studies!

Call For Proposals: Special Issue of Journal of Mormon History

“Mormon History in the Digital Age”

Guest Editors: Jeff Turner (University of Alabama) and Spencer Stewart (Purdue University)

Proposal Deadline: February 28, 2025

Digital technologies have dramatically transformed how scholars research, write, and disseminate knowledge. They have also shaped how the general public encounters scholarship and consumes information about the past. While digital work within Mormon Studies has an enduring history, few publications bring such work together in broader conversation. With this special issue, we hope to bring that conversation to bear.

This special issue investigates how research on Mormonism (broadly defined) has been transformed in the digital age, along with the broader ramifications of this change on the publics that engage in Mormon Studies scholarship. We invite submissions for a variety of article-types: original research papers, historiographies of Mormon scholarship in the digital age, digital project reviews, and roundtable reflections (see more below). We welcome submissions from all disciplinary backgrounds, although submissions will need to engage in some way with the Mormon past. For full consideration, please submit a proposal (250-500 word abstract and a two page CV) by February 28, 2025 to journal@mormonhistoryassociation.org. Please indicate in the subject line that your submission is for this special issue. 

Submission Types:

Research Papers (6,000-10,000 words): Research papers engage with digital methods or theories to produce original insights in Mormon Studies. This includes but is not limited to: using computational methods such as text analysis, spatial analysis, or social network analysis in a “braided” narrative with “traditional” interpretive analysis; original arguments about the digital dissemination of scholarship; or applying new media theory to critically study “digital” Mormon history. We welcome proposals at the intersection of Mormon Studies and Digital Humanities, Media Studies, Cultural Analytics, and Digital Religion.

Historiographies of Mormon Studies in the Digital Age (4,000-6,000 words): We welcome submissions that critically survey and contextualize the long and multifaceted history of digital work within Mormon Studies, including (but not limited to) the rise of digital archives, the emergence of online Mormon spaces (e.g. the “Bloggernacle”), or the ways that the digital has changed how we produce and disseminate information about the past. Papers in this category shouldn’t focus on a single project but instead identify a unifying theme or temporal bound, such as a specific timeframe (e.g. the early 2010s), content area (e.g. histories of pioneers), presentation mode (e.g. transcribed digital archive), or institutions (e.g. Church History Library). Submissions should provide a balance of critical thinking and synthesis that points to an overarching framework for understanding past digital work.

Project Overviews (less than 2,000 words): In lieu of book reviews, we welcome submissions that critically evaluate an existing digital Mormon Studies project. By reviewing these projects in a traditional academic publication, we aim to both recognize the enormous labor involved in creating such projects and promote high academic standards to the many digital projects that are increasingly shaping the field of Mormon Studies. We define digital projects broadly to include (but not limited to): digital archives, digital exhibits, digital tools, and multimedia/multimodal content such as blogs, videos, or podcasts. Final submissions will include a summary of the project (500 words) and offer a thoughtful and critical interpretation of its contributions to Mormon Studies (500-1,500 words). For a model of what we are looking for, see Reviews in DH.

Roundtable Discussions (2,000-4,000 words): Roundtable discussions provide a more informal space for a group of scholars (around 3-6) to reflect on the ways digital tools and spaces reshape academic work and popular engagement in the field of Mormon Studies. Topics include (but are not limited to): opportunities and challenges of digitizing archival collections, how the digital age has shaped the production and dissemination of the Mormon past, the growth of online religious communities in historical context, the role of the historian in online discourses about religion, and the ethical considerations of researching religious history in the digital age.

Deadlines: 

Proposals (250-500 abstract and 2 page CV): Feb 28, 2025

Final Drafts: September 1, 2025

Anticipated Publication Date: late 2026

Questions and Contact Information:

We recognize that digital projects (and writing about digital projects) take myriad forms, and yours may not fit within the examples we have provided above. If that is the case for you, please contact us with questions about fit–our aim is to be as expansive and inclusive as possible. We are happy to respond to other questions of clarification or concern. Please give us a few business days to respond!

Jeff Turner, jeff.turner@ua.edu

Spencer Stewart, stewa443@purdue.edu