Comments on: Gaining Credibility Within Mormon Studies

By: Christopher

Christopher — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:49:44 +0000

Ha. Sorry, I should’ve been more clear. He wanted to make sure I was choosing not to write about Mormonism for the right reasons (i.e. my actual interests were elsewhere and I wasn’t avoiding Mormonism just because I happen to be Mormon).

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:26:49 +0000

There are wrong reasons to write about Revolutionary-era religion?

By: Christopher

Christopher — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:12:01 +0000

Good thoughts, Ben. It’s probably worth noting that in the case of Bushman and Ulrich, it doesn’t appear that there was any calculated attempt on their part of put off Mormon history until it became professionally acceptable to write on it. Rather, their interests lay elsewhere (in colonial and early national history), and they each wrote (and continue to write) important and sophisticated books in that field.

And while I don’t consider myself to be anywhere near the level of either of those distinguished scholars, my shift from writing on Mormonism to writing on earlier American religious history is much more the result of my research interests shifting than it was a calculated move to put off writing on early Mormonism. In fact, my advisor pushed me to do a Mormon topic for the dissertation, at least partly in an effort to make sure I was writing about Revolutionary-era religion for the right reasons.

By: Saskia

Saskia — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:12:33 +0000

If I ever do convert, it might be for the church history library.

By: Ben P

Ben P — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:54:11 +0000

Sarah Barringer Gordon’s work often gets mentioned to me as excellent work on Mormonism by non-Mormons and most of the questions that get asked at conferences about my work show the influence of her book.

That’s because her book is still the best produced in Mormon history

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:47:19 +0000

At my summer seminar, Terryl mentioned that he was the only scholar he knew that had begun by working on Mormonism. At the time, I pointed out that he had written a non-Mormon dissertation. I also wonder how well known they are outside of the field. Sarah Barringer Gordon’s work often gets mentioned to me as excellent work on Mormonism by non-Mormons and most of the questions that get asked at conferences about my work show the influence of her book. I also often get asked about Richard Bushman’s work. Mauss and Givens come up but less often. I’m not sure if that’s a disciplinary difference (I’m a historian), or if it represents an actual distinction in their popularity.

Interestingly, whether or not a historian working on Mormonism can be taken seriously may depend on subfield. I have gotten the best responses to my work from people working on British colonialism and early republican America. I haven’t presented to scholars of the America West yet. People on 20th C America and people working on metropolitan Britain don’t seem that interested in my work.

By: Steve Fleming

Steve Fleming — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:32:45 +0000

It’s seems a bit more nuanced though. Especially since Givens did write all of his books on Mormonism and since Mauss did get the tenure track job despite have written a Mormon dissertation.

By: Ben P

Ben P — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:32:39 +0000

Great points, Amanda and Saskia.

And D, you are, unfortunately, correct.

By: D. Martin

D. Martin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:21:51 +0000

And then there are those Mormon scholars who are under suspicion in academia because of their religion, and can’t get jobs at BYU because of their scholarship. Eugene England occupied just that kind of uncomfortable space for a time.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:06:03 +0000

I’ve always seen being a Mormon or non-Mormon within the field. Mormons always have the option of being hired by the Church History Library or BYU — institutions that wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole — while non-Mormons have more credibility with the academy as a whole. I’m sometimes jealous of Mormon historians. I wouldn’t mind working at BYU and having access to the extra fellowships and job opportunities would be great.