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July 28, 2011August 30, 2011

Annual Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture – Richard V. Francaviglia

Sponsored by:
Special Collections & Archives; Merrill-Cazier Library; The Leonard J. Arrington Lecture and Archives Foundation; College of Humanities and Social Sciences; and Utah State University

The lecture is free and open to the public. Call 435-797-2663 with questions.

Dr. Richard V. Francaviglia presents:

“’Like the Hajis of Meccah and Jerusalem’ — Orientalism and the Mormon Experience”

Throughout their history, the Latter-day Saints have been compared to peoples of the Middle East, a region that was also called the “Near East” and sometimes simply “the Orient” in the 1800s. Like many Americans in the early 1800s, the Mormons were well aware of — and fascinated by — the Orient. In the 1830s, Mormon prophet Joseph Smith purchased ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and translated them into the Book of Abraham. Because Smith became a prophet in post-Biblical times, he was often compared to Islam’s prophet Mohammed. The Mormons’ belief that they were the true Israelites further linked their new American faith to the ancient Near East. So, too, did the Mormons’ interpretation of Native Americans as “Lamanites” (or Lost Tribes of Israel). The Mormon belief that repositioned important Biblical locations onto American soil (for example, the Garden of Eden) was also a factor. Within a few years of the Mormons’ 1847 arrival in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Utah was popularly considered the New Zion or New Jerusalem. As Mormon historian Leonard Arrington noted, Brigham Young was portrayed as the “American Moses” who had led the Mormon “Exodus” to this new Promised Land. Associating the Mormons with the Orient was controversial and lasted a long time. It provided ammunition to those who argued that Mormons were strange or even dangerous, and yet it also helped generate interest in the Mormon faith. The process was mutual, for the Mormons were not only given an Oriental identity by others, but willingly adopted it themselves. Using a wide range of sources, this presentation explores how and why the Latter-day Saints were “Orientalized” to become a distinctive and exotic people on the American frontier.

Dr. Francaviglia is a historian and geographer interested in how cultural attitudes shape the American West. Among his ten books are three — The Mormon Landscape (1979), Believing in Place (2003), and Go East, Young Man: Imagining the American West as the Orient (2011) — that address the important role played by religion. Although he is Professor Emeritus (University of Texas at Arlington), he now lives in Salem, Oregon, where he actively conducts research for his consulting company (Geo-Graphic Designs) and recently began teaching courses in Religious Studies at Willamette University. All college students are invited to participate in a writing competition in conjunction with this lecture. Cash awards will be given.

Location:

Thursday, September 15, 2011, at 7 pm

Logan LDS Institute Cultural Center
600 Darwin Avenue
Logan, Utah

Free parking tokens for the Aggie Terrace Parking Garage will be made available for those who attend.

June 17, 2011

Richard Bushman Symposium

The Salt Lake Tribune has a notice about a symposium honoring Richard Bushman scheduled for tomorrow, June 18th, in Springville.

January 18, 2011

Q: When did the program of using youthful males as missionaries become the norm within Mormonism?

Q: I am frustrated because lots of searching through the books I have, including the Mormon Encyclopedia, is not telling me when the program of using youthful males as missionaries became the norm within Mormonism. An article in the Encyclopedia mentions that initially the missionaries were usually married men who left their families for an unknown period. I know that the earlier format for studies with people by the young missionaries was published about 1960. But when did the two-by-two youthful ones originate, and what were the patterns between the “first generation” married men and the when the study format was published? If you know the answers to this set of questions I would be most grateful to have them, please.

A: Several members of the MSSA responded to this question.

Jan Shipps wrote:

In my own general research, the first mention I saw of the shift to young men came not long before World War II. I know that at the first of the war in Europe, the First Presidency was very much concerned about making sure that the American missionaries in Germany and other parts of continent could get home safely. There were lots of questions about whether missionaries would be drafted during World War II. But that does not tell us a lot.

Jonathan Stapley wrote:

The chapters in Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia by Reeve and Parshall on “Mormonism and Transition” and “Missiology” may be helpful. Additionally, Payne’s article on sister missionaries in New Scholarship on Latter-day Saint Women in the Twentieth Century will also be helpful.

David Heap wrote:

My mother was a missionary in the Northern States Mission around 1953, 54. She said there were a few married elders, called because of Korea. But she understood that was the last of them, and that early on the McKay Administration decided to end the calling of married brethren to serve missions. I am not sure on what basis she said that (she is now deceased)–whether it was common knowledge, or whether she learned from President McKay himself or his son, who was my mother’s uncle.

November 19, 2010

faculty position at BYU-Idaho

There is a faculty position open in Sociology at BYU-Idaho. Here’s the description from the website:

Official Title:	Full-time Faculty – Sociology
Department:	Academic Office
Position Type:	Faculty
Position Summary:	Teach core sociology courses in a comprehensive sociology program. Assignments could include theory, research methods, and statistical analysis. Teach general courses in inequalities and institutions, with an open emphasis. Additional responsibilities include advising students and other department and university assignments. Throughout their careers, all BYU-Idaho faculty are expected to actively pursue professional development opportunities in teaching and learning and ongoing scholarly development within their discipline.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:	Doctorate in Sociology preferred; master’s degree required with the stipulation that continued employment will be based upon the completion of a doctorate degree. Applicants must have a demonstrated commitment to and evidence of excellence in teaching. Applicants must be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and eligible for a temple recommend.
Work Schedule:	To be determined by department chair.
Anticipated Start Date:	08-16-2011
Salary:	Dependent on education and experience.
Posting Date:	11-12-2010
Closing Date:	01-16-2011
Required Applicant Documents:	Resume Cover Letter Transcript 1
Optional Applicant Documents:	Curriculum Vitae Letter of Reference 1 Letter of Reference 2 Letter of Reference 3 Other Document Transcript 2 Transcript 3
Special Instructions to Applicants:	Original transcript of degrees earned is required and must be mailed by the university to the following address: Mr. Kelly T Burgener Associate Academic VP for Instruction 210 KIM BYU-Idaho Rexburg ID 83460-1690
Contact Info:	Peggy P. Clements 210 KIM Academic Office BYU-Idaho Rexburg ID 83460-1690 208-496-1140 clementsp@byui.edu

November 1, 2010

SYMPOSIUM TO EXPLORE MORMON MEDIA STUDIES

SYMPOSIUM TO EXPLORE MORMON MEDIA STUDIES

Public invited at no charge to attend Nov 11-12 symposium

PROVO, Utah – Oct. 21 – A first-ever symposium, “Mormon Media Studies: Across Time, Space, and Disciplines,” will be held at the Brigham Young University campus November 11 and 12, 2010.

Featured keynote speaker will be Dr. Terryl Givens, professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond. Dr. Givens will speak on the subject of “Fraud, Philanderers and Football: Negotiating the Mormon Image.”

The conference will also include over 30 academic paper presentations on Mormons and the media; panel discussions on Mormon bloggers, Church public relations, Mormon film and more; and film screenings, documentaries and discussions. “Lunch and a Movie” and “Night at the Movies” film screenings will be held at noon and in the evenings featuring rare and unique Mormon-themed films.

For more information about the Symposium, or to pre-order lunch for the event, visit the Symposium web site at http://ce.byu.edu/cw/mmstudies/.

Lunch can also be ordered by calling 801–422–8925.

(See flyer here.)

August 8, 2010

16th Annual Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture

Sixteenth Annual Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture

Call for Papers: Mormon Media Studies: Across Time, Space, and Disciplines

CALL FOR CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PANELS
Sponsored by BYU Department of Communications, BYU Broadcasting, and BYU Studies
In Conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of BYU Broadcasting

November 11 & 12, 2010
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
http://ce.byu.edu/cw/mmstudies

“Mormon Media Studies: Across Time, Space, and Disciplines”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have been highly visible in the media in recent years, and also have been actively engaged in the production of media content. While circumstances and technologies have changed over time, the media always have been central to the Mormon experience, and to the interface of Mormonism with societies, institutions, and individuals. This first-ever interdisciplinary Mormon Media Studies Symposium will focus on the academic study of all aspects of Mormons and the media, in the present as well as the past. (The term “media” is used broadly to encompass print and electronic media, books, film, etc.)

Submission of Paper and Panel Proposals
Academics, practitioners, and students are invited to submit competitive papers or panel proposals about any aspect of Mormons and the media. Papers and panels may be broadly interdisciplinary; international perspectives are encouraged; all rigorous scholarly methodological frameworks and theories are welcome. Audio-visual presentations (with rigorous analysis) and short films are welcome. Papers recently presented or published elsewhere may be considered (provide full information). Submissions (which will be peer-reviewed) may be made in three categories: Full Papers; Presentation Papers; and Panels. Full papers should be approx. 6,000-8,000 words. They will be considered by BYU Studies for possible publication (if the author wishes). (They must be adapted for a 20-25 minute presentation.) Presentation papers should be approx. 3,000 words. They may be accepted to presentation, panel, or poster sessions. Panel proposals should be approx. 2-3 pages. They should include panel topic and relevance, and panel members’ names, titles, and contact information. For all submissions, include title and short abstract (100 words), author’s full name, title or student status,
and contact information. Identifying information should appear only on the cover page.

Deadline: Papers and panel proposals must be submitted by June 30, 2010 in Word or PDF formats as an e-mail attachment to Dr. Sherry Baker at: sherry_baker@byu.edu.

See complete Call for Papers here.