1) As Joel points out in #3, this forces Latter-day Saint historians whose research is outside the field of Mormon studies to consider how their religious faith influences their research interests and interpretations—a valuable thing for all historians to consider.

2) That such comments were delivered to a room full of early Americanists who have not considered Mormonism (either historically or its influence on two of the fields prominent historians (Ulrich and Bushman)) is also noteworthy. The day after these comments, one historian wondered out loud in a conversation with me how his own upbringing as a Quaker had influenced his scholarship, and also was quite interested in my research on Mormonism.

This is very well put, and an important reminder that we can draw strength and perspective for our work from outside the rigors of the academy.

It is time that we utterly repudiate the pernicious dogma that marriage and a practical life-work are incompatible.

“Radical 1970s feminist?” she queried. “No, this is Louisa Greene Richards, a pious Latter-day Saint mother writing in the Woman’s Exponent, published in the territory of Utah in 1877.

And now you know why my daughter is named Louisa! (And why I wish I had another one to name Laurel)

I think the most interesting implication of Cohen’s engaging thoughts can be found in his observation that her Mormon background is inseparable from her scholarship. As a historian who happens to be Mormon and whose work generally doesn’t focus on Mormon history, I find it interesting to think that the way that I perceive the past is invariably shaped by my Mormon identity. I think Cohen makes a great case that Ulrich’s emergence from the patchwork communities of Mormon womanhood helped her to recognize, value, and explain the patchwork communities of Colonial America. I guess one question that emerges from my reading of Cohen’s tribute is about how my own Mormon identity shapes my understanding of the past? I also think that it is fascinating to ponder what will happen as Professor Ulrich turns her formidable historical skills onto Mormon history–especially with her classic attention to the details of how communities work and the central role women play in them.