I am working on my PhD Preliminary exams in History at University of Illinois. Although not primarily a scholar of Mormon History, I have always tried to remain an informed outsider. My work centers on Japanese Americans. I have a wonderful wife who is much more supportive of my academic habits than I deserve.
Before I get into the meat of my first post, I would like to offer a few explanations for offering up a bit of personal and family history. First, I feel like it is essential for a historian to reveal his own positionality so that readers can understand the context for the rest of his work. Second, many of my motives for becoming a historian and much of my work involve a search to understand my own identity. And finally, I think that Mormon historicity has more connection to the self and family than other types of historical inquiry. (more…)
