Juvenile Instructor » Heidi
 


Heidi

I am currently in Boston University's American Studies PhD Program but seriously considering a major career leap into the realm of Geographic Information Systems to add just a bit more variety to my already rather manic life. After I finish up courses in May, I'll be moving to SLC for a summer research internship at Historic Sites and then to the southern coast of Oregon. And I'm getting married in September! To a man named, I kid you not, Paul H. Dunn. No relation to "the" Paul H. Dunn, just coincidence...and a sign that perhaps Mormon Studies is the thing for me.

Mormon Perceptions of Asian Race, 1880-1930 (Part II:Japanese and Conclusion)

By: Heidi - June 24, 2008

(Continued from here) 

 

In 1890 there were only four documented “persons of Japanese ancestry” in the entire territory of Utah. [1]  Contrasted with the Chinese, Utahns had no contact whatsoever with a significant Japanese population.  Subsequently, the Japanese were easily romanticized, especially in light of the glowing reports from National newspapers about Japan’s westernization and generous trade agreements.  (more…)

Mormon Perceptions of Asian Race, 1880-1930 (Part I:Chinese)

By: Heidi - June 23, 2008

Since we’ve been posting a bit on race topics, I thought this would be a good time to contribute selections from my Joseph Smith Seminar 2007 paper entitled “Another Other: Asian Race and LDS Theological Change 1880-1930.”  Just as a note, I only chose to analyze perceptions of the Chinese and Japanese because those “races” had more sources to work from for the period I was interested in.  However, I think a further inquiry into Korean, Southeast Asian, Mongolian, and South Asian perceptions would be helpful and fascinating.  The sources are out there, the work just needs to be done.

 

Browsing through library databases and catalogues today, it is difficult to find even a handful of hits on Mormonism and Asian Race.  Even Armand Mauss’ recent sweeping study, All Abraham’s Children, notably omits any specific inquiry on the subject, though h (more…)

Frontier Women FRAMED!

By: Heidi - February 22, 2008

As my final act as guest poster, I’m offering another selection from my GEA collection paper about how these compositions were framed (thought a sensational post title might attract a few more readers ;-).

I look forward to joining you more permanently at the end of March! Thanks for the invite future fellow Instructors! (more…)

Education, Homemaking, and Gender-Bending through Props: More Photos from the GEA Collection

By: Heidi - February 20, 2008

The props coal county women chose to include in their valuable portraits reveal deepening layers of their concept of gender and equality. The traveling tent studio could not afford the space to transport fashionable or particularly exceptional props to the mining towns. Subsequently, patrons often brought their own valuables, and thus their own values, to include in their framed lives as particularly cherished objects. (more…)

Emerson–The Sequel!

By: Heidi - February 19, 2008

Well now, Ben beat me to it. But, since I might have some interesting things to say in addition (and I have an admin logon this week bwahaha) I’m just going to make it a new post. (more…)

Hats and Bicycles

By: Heidi - February 17, 2008

This one goes out to Ardis ;-)

And can I also say I’m glad these photos are intriguing people because they really are a hugely wonderful yet hugely untapped resource that only recently has become accessible (aka, not fragile glass plates in large cardboard boxes with no index) 

Selection from my paper:
(more…)

The “New Woman” in Central Utah

By: Heidi - February 16, 2008

As a historian I, of course, have some issues with historians. My main bugaboo this past year has been what I term “source prejudice.” We favor textual documents over visual, no doubt about it. What really gets me is that one of the main defenses for this has been that textual documents are more open and reliable, visual more obscure and relative. Well now, there are definitely interpretation issues within textual documents too; we still need to consider intention, audienc (more…)