By Ben POctober 29, 2007
University of Illinois Press has been one of the major reasons for the flowering of Mormon scholarship in recent decades. Many groundbreaking pieces have been published through this venue, and many of their books can be found on all of our book shelves. This made it all the more difficult when rumors started trickling out that they were not going to be doing Mormon history anymore. The rumor was that since Elizabeth Dulany retired, the press did not want to accept
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By David G.October 29, 2007
Over at the Mormon Wasp, Justin has presented compelling evidence that the oft-cited story about Leo Tolstoy describing Mormonism as the American religion is probably an exaggeration. It is true that Mormons have preferred to imagine a much more grandiose version of Tolstoy’s opinions of Mormonism, but an equally fascinating question is why have academics in recent
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By ChristopherOctober 28, 2007
In Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, Michel Foucault revealed that as early as the 18th century, individuals in Europe were being institutionalized for religious enthusiasm and what was seen as too strict of devotion. Doctors went so far as to
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By ChristopherOctober 27, 2007
Perhaps of interest to our readers, here are links to two blogs devoted to U.S. Religious History.
The first, Religion in American History, is run by Paul Harvey, noted historian of religion in the South, and author of some great books. Other contributing editors include a number of religious historians around the nation. Among those editors is John Turner, assistant professor of history at the University of South Alabama, who is currently researching Brigham Young’s religiosity. The blog has a number of posts that discuss Mormonism, and help situate both historical and contemporary Mormonism in wider frameworks.
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By Jared TOctober 27, 2007
I got word that a tv ad ran on KJZZ featuring a soundbite from Elder Marlin Jensen advertizing a tv program about the Joseph Smith Papers. A tv listing here shows that on Nov. 5, at 7 pm a one hour show is to air (the site shows the current listing, you have to use the drop down menu to get to Nov. 5). Does anyone have any more information on this? This appears to be Larry H. Mille
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By David G.October 26, 2007
A few months ago a friend shared with me a rumor concerning a forthcoming movie about the life of Emma Smith, the (first) wife of Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism. This movie, he told me, had been approved by the First Presidency and was set for distribution in theaters. I was admittedly skeptical, due to the difficulty inherent in any historical presentation of her li
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