By Ben POctober 17, 2011
Last month, at the end of a nearly month-long east-coast research trip, I had the privilege of attended a splendid graduate-student conference hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies, titled “The Power of Stories: Authority and Narrative in Early America.”[1] The weekend was filled with spectacular papers, wonderful networking, and I came away invigorated and excited to dig into my own dissertation research. But, not surprisingly, the most provoking paper of the conference was the plenary presentation given by respected Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore. Her paper, “Telling Histories: Or, What Narrative Does,” poses important questions to American scholars in general, and may be of similar importance to practitioners of Mormon studies.
Continue Reading
By ChristopherOctober 8, 2011
Call for Papers (Updated with Extended Deadline)
2012 Mormon History Association Conference
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
?Mormonism In Its Expanding Global Context: Invitations to New Interpretations and Understanding
Continue Reading
By Steve FlemingSeptember 29, 2011
Many Christians have found Plato valuable and those who have have often promoted the idea of prisca theologia, or, the ancient wisdom. The idea was the Plato got his ideas from somewhere else, like hermetic or orphic texts, and some thinkers constructed larger narratives of where the ancient wisdom (Platonic ideas that predated Plato) came from. ?In order to preserve the uniqueness of the Judeo-Christian revelation,? argues D. P. Walker, ?it was usual to claim that pagan Ancient Theology derived from Moses; but sometimes it was supposed to go back further, to Noah and his good sons, Shem and Japeth, or to antediluvian Patriarchs, such as Enoch, or even Adam.? [1]
Continue Reading
By Ben PSeptember 29, 2011
For a book project I am currently working on, I recently revisited Ron Walker’s Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young (which you can download for free here). I had glanced through the book years ago, but it never really made that big of an impression. However, this time through it struck me as a phenomenal volume. Not only is it full of nuance, sophistication, and exhaustive research, but it is better written than a majority of Mormon history books I’ve read. It made me better appreciate Leonard Arrington’s description of Walker as the “best writer” in Mormon studies.
This got me thinking: what other books do we sometimes overlook in the field? Wayward Saints, for instance, only received one vote in a recent survey here on JI, and I failed to include it on my list of the “Mormon History Canon.” (I would probably add it were I to try the list over again.) Some other books that come to mind:
Continue Reading
By David G.September 24, 2011
Joseph Smith Papers Project Internship-Church History Department
Purpose
The Church History Department announces an opening for a one-year internship with the Joseph Smith Papers Project. This will be a full-time temporary position beginning in October 2011.
Continue Reading
By StanSeptember 23, 2011
Ardis Parshall has graciously provided this scan of an image, the possibility of which was discussed in my post of a few days ago.
Continue Reading
By ChristopherSeptember 22, 2011
Over at The Immanent Frame, the always insightful and provocative Jon Butler offers “a historian’s reaction to American Grace,” a sweeping treatment of “how religion divides and unites us” in contemporary America that has rightly gained a fair amount of publicity and praise since its release last October. Butler’s thoughtful critique wonders whether authors Robert Putnam and David Campbell allow the “many and complex “beliefs'” they survey to “float too free from their historical moorings.”
Continue Reading
By Ben PSeptember 21, 2011
From our good friend Rachel Cope:
The Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University is hosting a talk titled, “Prophet of Doom, Apostle of Hope: Slavery, Marriage and an Antebellum Search for Authority,” by visiting Scholar David Holland on Thursday, Sept 29, at 7:00 pm. It will be held in W111 Benson. All are invited to attend.
Holland’s recent book, Sacred Borders has received great praise, both from the ‘nacle and the broader academic community. Holland, who teaches history at UNLV, is a rising young scholar in American intellectual, religious, and cultural history. He is also the dissertation advisor of (at least in spirit) JI contributor Jordan Watkins. His (somewhat dated) C.V. is found here.
I hope it gets good attendance, and I wish I could attend!
By StanSeptember 20, 2011
While visiting a friend’s home in Utah this past summer, I noticed on the bookshelf a complete set of the Illustrated Stories from the Book of Mormon, a 16-volume production, geared toward families with kids, published by Promised Land Publications in 1967. I pulled a volume off the shelf and began flipping through. It was great! If I didn’t know any better, though, I might have been a bit confused by the array of colorful pictures that confronted me. Was this a history of the ancient americas or a modern U.S. History textbook? It seemed a strange hybrid of both. Pictures of Nephites and Lamanites and Mesoamerican temples were interspersed with pictures of the Statue of Liberty, Columbus, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the transcontinental railroad, and the American West!
Continue Reading
Recent Comments
Glen Larson on CFP: Book of Mormon: “Please add me to your mailing list. Thanks”
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…”
Gary Bergera on Legacies in Mormon Studies: “Jenny's great. Thanks for posting this.”
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!”