By August 3, 2012
The Juvenile Instructor is on something of a roll lately, making the most of the summer months, introducing a number of new guest bloggers (and there’s more on the way!) and adding to our ever-expanding roster of regulars, too. Tod Robbins, who has guest blogged for the last month here, has agreed to join the JI full-time (he also landed a new job yesterday, so it’s a good week for Tod!). If you missed his excellent posts over the last month, you can check them out here.
Please join us in welcoming Tod!
By AmandaAugust 2, 2012
This is the first substantive post in a series about Mormon literature and the creation of a history of Mormon girls. This post tries to think about Mormon literature expansively and thus, takes as its subject a film that has sometimes been referred to as the ?fourth Mormon gospel.? Next week, Susanna Morrill gives us her take on Mormon teen romances.
I first watched Johnny Lingo at my cousin?s birthday party. I remember more of the confetti cake and sprinkles than I do of the movie that night, but I enjoyed it enough that I insisted that Liz and I watch it one night after the Joseph Smith Summer Seminar. We popped some popcorn, put in the DVD, and curled up in some blankets. When the movie came on, the first thing I thought after a decade or longer absence was, ?Oh my gosh, I can see his nipples!?
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By GuestAugust 2, 2012
[This is the first guest post from Saskia Tielens.]
Last spring, I taught a course called The Book of Mormon and American Culture at the TU Dortmund University in Dortmund, Germany. It was an elective class and meant for undergraduate students.
The first thing my students asked me last spring was whether I was Mormon.
Actually, that’s not true. The first thing they asked me was something incomprehensible in German. Since I prefer my German the American way (slowly and loudly), I stared at them for a moment before letting them know that however much I appreciated being addressed as Frau Tielens (it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?), Ms. Tielens would do for now.
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By Ben PAugust 1, 2012
We are extremely excited to introduce our new guest poster, Saskia Tielens. Saskia has commented sporadically on JI before and has proven herself to be an astute observer of Mormonism and Mormon studies. A summary of her presentation on Mormonism’s gold plates and material culture can be found here. This is how she introduces herself.
Saskia Tielens earned her BA and MA in American studies from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She is about to start her second year as a PhD student in Dortmund, Germany, and is writing her dissertation on the ritualization of Mormon history as well as teaching various courses in the American studies department there. Most recently, she was a participant in this year’s summer seminar on Mormon culture, led by Richard Bushman. Saskia particularly enjoys coming at Mormon studies as a non-Mormon, and considers the concept of funeral potatoes to have enriched her life.
Her first contribution, reflections on teaching a class on Mormonism as a non-Mormon in Europe, will go up tomorrow morning.
Join us in giving Saskia a warm welcome.
By Tod R.July 31, 2012
One fascinating document that has been submitted to the Saints of Alberta Project (SAP) is this page of lyrics for a folk hymn composed by “H. Garner” on April 17, 1884, titled “Wait till the clouds roll by Zion”:
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By AmandaJuly 30, 2012
After some discussion, Juvenile Instructor has decided to try a new type of post today. Instead of having a single-author or making a single argument, this post is a conversation between two scholars about a topic. It should add a different flair to JI and will hopefully spark some discussion. In this case, Max and Amanda discuss the Book of Mormon and its place within Mormon history and scholarship as a whole. Both Max and Amanda are non-members and thus, may (or may not) have a different perspective than historians writing from a believing perspective.
Max: Hi Amanda. We’re trying something new today at JI: a conversational post.
Amanda: Hi Max, Glad to be a part of this.
Max: To get started, there has been a great deal of discussion in the bloggernacle as of late about how to approach the Book of Mormon as a scholarly source. I’d argue that most scholars, especially non-members (like us), get hung up on the “historicity” of the Book of Mormon, or as many would argue, the lack thereof. The inability of some scholars to move beyond ?historicity? is partly a result of the nature of the text itself. From the Book of Mormon?s inception, there has been an insistence that the book is historical.
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By Edje JeterJuly 29, 2012
Below is a much-condensed version of a paper I presented yesterday at the History of Mormonism in Latin America and the US-Mexico Borderlands conference in El Paso, Texas. Our own Jared T organized the conference, which I judge to have been a smashing success. My paper attempted to sketch some of the relationships among the Mormon colonies in Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico, and the Southwestern (later Central) States Mission from 1900 to 1905.
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By Andrea R-MJuly 28, 2012
Mormon women?s history is alive and thriving, as seen in the rich and diverse offerings at the 2012 Mormon History Association conference in Calgary, Alberta. Out of forty sessions within the two-day period, a full four sessions were entirely devoted to women?s historical and/or contemporary activities, with another three panels examining early Mormon marital practices and broader examinations of polygamy.
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By GuestJuly 27, 2012
By Pete Wosnik
I have long been interested in the cultural influences that helped shape Mormonism. This fascination led me to ask questions about conversion: what accounts for Mormonism’s success, and why did early converts find it so appealing? Delving into the subject I quickly realized that there is a rich historiography full of brilliant scholars grappling with these questions. Whitney Cross and Mario DePillis were some of the earliest scholars to debate these topics. And while they used very limited data, they were in agreement that early Mormons were generally poor coming from the fringes of society. These author’s ideas were rooted in a socioeconomic theory that those unhappy with their current situation are more likely to join radical movements.
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By July 26, 2012
Pete Wosnik is an undergraduate at Utah State University. He will graduate in the fall with dual major in history and religious studies. Pete?s academic interests include: Mormon history, early Christian history, American religious history, and philosophy of religion. He recently worked as an undergraduate teaching fellow for Dr. Philip Barlow (Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture) and as an editor for the Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies. Pete also enjoys playing guitar, recording, outdoor activities, and sometimes dating.
Join us in welcoming Pete.
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