Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography of the Last Half Century

Edited by Newell C. Bringhurst and Lavina Fielding Anderson Winner of the Special Book Award from the John Whitmer Historical Association “A valuable tool in the ongoing quest for clarity, for truth, for certainty.” — Association for Mormon Letters   Available in ebook for Kindle, Nook, Google Play, and Kobo. Also available through Amazon. Book Description: Excavating Mormon Pasts assembles sixteen knowledgeable scholars from both LDS and the Community of Christ traditions who have long participated skillfully in this dialogue. It presents their insightful and sometimes incisive surveys of where the New Mormon History has come from and which fields remain unexplored. It is both a vital reference work and a stimulating picture of the New Mormon History in the early twenty-first century. Comprehensive Table of Contents: Show/Hide . Introduction 1. Mormon History and the Conundrum of Culture: American and Beyond Postscript 2. The Search for Cultural Origins of Mormon Doctrines The Burned-Over District New England Puritanism The Bible and Christian Primitivism Magical Worldviews Conclusion: Not “Laying aside Revelation” 3. Mormon Origins: The Church in New York and Ohio General Works Published Primary Sources Biographical Studies The Making of a Prophet The First Vision Money-Digging and Magic The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon The Mormon Approach to Scripture The Development of a Mormon Community The Development of Church Organization and Doctrine Life Among the Saints The Mormon Economy Declension and Movement West Conclusion 4. The Mormon Experience in Missouri, 1830–39 Jackson County: Building the City of God A Richer View of Non-Mormons The Role of Mormon Dissenters The Danites Mormon Military Activities New Interpretations The Nature of Opposition to Mormonism Conclusion 5. The Nauvoo Experience The New Nauvoo Defining the New History Earlier Nauvoos Nauvoo in General Histories. Political History Economic History Social History Community History Religious History A New Synthesis 6. Mormonism on the Frontier: The Saints of the Great Basin General Works Brigham Young Other Mormons Mormon Migration and Settlement Mormon Settlements Economics The Political Kingdom of God The Mormon Reformation and the Utah War Missionary Work and the Mormon Image Dissenting Movements Doctrinal Development and Interpretation Plural Marriage Women, Children, and Family Structure and Dynamics Ethnicity and Race Mormon Architecture Education and Communication Conclusion 7. Mormonism in Transition, 1890–1945 LDS Accommodation Statehood Post-Manifesto Polygamy and Fundamentalism Accommodation in the Early Twentieth-Century War, Depression, and Dissent The International Church 8. The LDS Church in the United States since 1945 Growth General Studies Multiculturalism Secularism Education Political Affairs Correlation Finances Further Research Conclusion 9. Growth and Internationalization: The LDS Church Since 1945 The Pacific and Australasia The British Isles Western Europe Latin America, General Mexico and Central America South America Asia: General Works East Asia Southeast and South Asia Africa and the Middle East Eastern Europe Historiography of Growth and Internationalization 10. Studies of Mormon Fissiparousness: Conflict, Dissent, and Schism in the Early Church Perspectives on Mormon Fissiparousness Early Mormon Schisms The Earliest Dissenters and Schisms Dissent and Schism in Ohio and Missouri Schisms of the Nauvoo Church Fragmentation of the Nauvoo Church Conclusions 11. “Travelers on the New Mormon History Trail”: Community of Christ Contributions to the New Mormon History Movement Community of Christ Trail-Blazers Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa Following the Trail Blazers The Writings of Roger D. Launius The Administrative Biography Series General Surveys The Reorganized Church and the Theme of Dissent Makers of Church Thought Series General Interest Works Scholarly Historical Journals and Articles John Whitmer Historical Association John Whitmer Historical Association Monograph Series Academic Capstone Projects Works in Progress Conclusion 12. The New Mormon Women’s History Brooks, Brodie, and Arrington A Mormon Mother Women in Camelot: Beecher, Derr, and Madsen Pink Dialogue and Mormon Sisters: Bushman and Ulrich Mormon Enigma RLDS Women Women Writing on Men; Men Writing on Women Polygamy and Women “Contemporary” Women’s History Mormon Women’s History and the Institutional Church Diaries and Autobiographies: Critical Editions Women’s History and the New Mormon History 13. Out of the Closet and into the Fire: The New Mormon Historians’ Take on Polygamy Precursors The Role of the LDS Church Historical Department The Origins of Mormon Polygamy Post-Manifesto Polygamy Biography as a Lens on Polygamy Regional, Demographic, and Social History Demographic Studies Legal History Theological and Social History Conclusion 14. Mormon Biography: Paradoxes, Progress, and Continuing Problems Biographies of Mormon Presidents Biographies of Other Church Leaders Lesser Leaders and Rank-and-File Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint Women RLDS Historical Figures Dissidents and Schismatics Conclusion 15. Mormon Society and Culture Community History Demographic History Prosopography Marriage and Family History High Culture Other Social-Cultural Topics Other Local Studies Social Science 16. Fictional Pasts: Mormon Historical Novels Mormon Historical Fictions Connections with the New Mormon History The Future of Mormon Historical Fiction Index    Praise for Excavating Mormon Pasts: “[Excavating Mormon Pasts is] a valuable tool in the ongoing quest for clarity, for truth, for certainty. It is one of several volumes I’ve seen in the past few years that qualify for a ‘must have’ rating.” — Jeffrey Needle, Association for Mormon Letters More Information: Pages: 456 ISBN: 978-1-58958-115-9 (Paperback)