The Mormon Studies Unit welcomes papers and/or panels on a variety of themes and topics relating to the Mormon tradition, broadly defined. The proposals should analyze the material in terms of the academic study of religion. For the 2024 conference, we propose a few themes:
Mormonism and Activism-We seek proposals that explore the history and practices of various social, political and religious activism in Mormon contexts.
Mormonism and Sexuality-We seek proposals that examine Mormonism and sexuality from a historical, ethnographic, or sociological lens.
Mormonism and Borderlands-In recognition of being near the US/Mexico border for the San Diego conference, we seek proposals and examine Mormonism’s role in borderlands, physical and metaphorical.
Open Call: Other papers or panels dealing with aspects of Mormonism not mentioned in the previous call will also be considered. Papers may be selected for their relevance to themes which emerge among other submissions.
Date: 23-25th May 2024 Location: Mexico City, Mexico – National Autonomous University of Mexico
“Go thy way unto thy brother, and be first reconciled with thy brother, and then come to me with a full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.” 3 Nephi 12:24
Change, adaptability, and peacemaking are characteristics of Mormonism’s presence as a global religion and cultural movement. Mormonism has also been a source of historical conflict, trauma, violence, and contradiction. The theme “Go Thy Way,” acknowledges the multidimensional reality of what Mormonism’s global presence has meant to various communities and individuals. How can these layered and nuanced experiences be seen, represented, and interpreted? Can they be reconciled towards a sense of greater belonging?
Conference registration is FREE for both presenters and regular attendees.
The Mormon History Association has allocated funds to enable members to participate in the annual conference. Financial assistance of $400 is available for up to five student or independent scholars living in the United States who will be presenting at the annual conference.
From friend-of-JI Katherine Pollock. Thanks, Katherine!
The John Whitmer Historical Association has several student conference scholarships available for Undergraduate and Graduate students for it’s St. George, Utah Conference on September 12-15, 2024. Below are details about the scholarship and how to apply.
JWHA Conference Scholarship includes:
Money Award (amount can vary) – received during conference
Conference registration fees waived
Free Presidential Banquet ticket
Free membership (including JWHA journals) for the following year
What you need to apply:
Your 100-to-200-word paper proposal submitted
Title of your paper proposal
A short biographical statement
Ability to attend the conference from Thursday – Saturday
Your contact and school Information
List of your scholarly interests
Willingness to help at conference
The scholarship application page can be found HERE. The scholarship application should be submitted before the Call for Papers deadline on April 6, 2024.
The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church History and Doctrine Department at Brigham Young University extend an open invitation for paper presentation proposals for its biennial symposium. Please see attached call for papers for additional information regarding proposals due FEBRUARY 16, 2024 and forward this to anyone you think may be interested.
I’m currently in the process of reframing and rewriting my dissertation as a monograph. It’s been a humbling experience. While I knew that my dissertation would need work to be ready to send to university presses, I realized that I had no idea how the publication process might go. What do I need to do to speak to an editor? Should I send in an entire manuscript, or would I only need a few chapters to start? What on earth did a book proposal look like? While presses often have very basic information on their websites, they didn’t always answer questions specific to my situation.
The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies is pleased to announce multiple awards for 2024 that are available for scholars, students, or organizations conducting research or producing public programming from any discipline that is related to the Intermountain regions of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Applications for 2024 are due by 11:59 p.m. MST on March 15, and awardees will be notified by May 1.
Scholars have hotly debated the role that faith should play within Mormon Studies. Richard Bushman, for example, has argued believing scholars should develop their own hermeneutic that recognizes the presence of God in human history. Other scholars have rejected his suggestion, asking what evidence a person would use to identify the hand of God. The role that faith should play in writing history has been particularly contentious within Mormon history. Apologists and critics of the LDS Church have long used history to try to prove or disprove its truth claims. In this webinar, five scholars will discuss the role that faith should play in writing Mormon history and the difference between academic and devotional history.
Be sure to nominate your work, your friend’s work, your colleague’s work, and any work that you enjoyed on Mormon history for a Mormon History Association Award!
Information about all awards: https://mormonhistoryassociation.org/awards/
Printing for the Youth of Zion: One Approach to the History of Latter-day Saint Print Culture
In 1831, Joseph Smith dictated a revelation on the “printing…selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction.” (D&C 55:4) This instruction to W.W. Phelps and Oliver Cowdery established that the creation of printed material for children and youth was to be a priority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the effort of creating printed material for children lay largely dormant for a few decades, by the late nineteenth century, a robust print culture had developed around this goal, and it continued to gain momentum into the twentieth century.
Steve Fleming on Study and Faith, 5:: “The burden of proof is on the claim of there BEING Nephites. From a scholarly point of view, the burden of proof is on the…”
Eric on Study and Faith, 5:: “But that's not what I was saying about the nature of evidence of an unknown civilization. I am talking about linguistics, not ruins. …”
Steve Fleming on Study and Faith, 5:: “Large civilizations leave behind evidence of their existence. For instance, I just read that scholars estimate the kingdom of Judah to have been around 110,000…”
Eric on Study and Faith, 5:: “I have always understood the key to issues with Nephite archeology to be language. Besides the fact that there is vastly more to Mesoamerican…”
Steven Borup on In Memoriam: James B.: “Bro Allen was the lead coordinator in 1980 for the BYU Washington, DC Seminar and added valuable insights into American history as we also toured…”
David G. on In Memoriam: James B.: “Jim was a legend who impacted so many through his scholarship and kind mentoring. He'll be missed.”
Recent Comments
Steve Fleming on Study and Faith, 5:: “The burden of proof is on the claim of there BEING Nephites. From a scholarly point of view, the burden of proof is on the…”
Eric on Study and Faith, 5:: “But that's not what I was saying about the nature of evidence of an unknown civilization. I am talking about linguistics, not ruins. …”
Steve Fleming on Study and Faith, 5:: “Large civilizations leave behind evidence of their existence. For instance, I just read that scholars estimate the kingdom of Judah to have been around 110,000…”
Eric on Study and Faith, 5:: “I have always understood the key to issues with Nephite archeology to be language. Besides the fact that there is vastly more to Mesoamerican…”
Steven Borup on In Memoriam: James B.: “Bro Allen was the lead coordinator in 1980 for the BYU Washington, DC Seminar and added valuable insights into American history as we also toured…”
David G. on In Memoriam: James B.: “Jim was a legend who impacted so many through his scholarship and kind mentoring. He'll be missed.”