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Mormon History

Ronald W. Walker, David J. Whittaker, and James B. Allen, with a contribution by Armand Mauss, 2001, 6x9" hardbound, 271 pages.

A companion volume to their massive bibliography Studies in Mormon History, 1830-1997, this descriptive history by a team of top Mormon scholars provides a comprehensive view of how the writing of Mormon history has evolved since the establishment of the church.

Mormon History offers an interpretive survey of Mormon historical writings, from the partisan and often ephemeral history of the nineteenth century through the shift in the first half of the twentieth toward a more balanced and professional approach to the "new Mormon history" that has emerged since World War II. In addition to laying out Mormon historiography, the authors examine Mormon biography and autobiography and discuss social science literature on the Mormons. Two valuable appendixes round out this volume, one on the development and nature of Mormon imprints, the other on conducting historical research in Mormon sources.

Review Excerpts:

"Comprehensive in its scope and judicious in its analysis, Mormon History provides an indispensable guide to the massive body of historical scholarship that documents the LDS experience. Walker, Whittaker, and Allen have produced a welcome companion to their equally impressive compilation, Studies in Mormon History." --Peter J. Blodgett, Huntington Library

"The telling of history is funny stuff. It has been said that the victors get to write the story, leaving open the real probability that the story will be skewed in favor of those who won.

But sometimes there are neither winners nor losers, only participants in an ongoing story of birth, growth, accommodation and assimilation. The history of the birth and growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is just such a tale.

Mormon History tells the story of the telling of the story. In other words, how has Mormon history been written by the Church itself? How has this history been reported by outsiders, friendly or otherwise? The story of the story is nearly as interesting as the story itself.

The chapter headings are as follows:

1. Beginnings: Nineteenth-Century Historical Writing

Beginning with Howe's "Mormonism Unvailed," the authors document the "highly partisan" writings of both Mormons and anti-Mormons.
The virtues and defects of early Mormon history may be traced to the fact that it was highly partisan. Mormons believed that their church was the "only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth," and they wrote with the settled conviction that this belief generated...Not surprisingly, non-Mormon writers disagreed. (1)
The authors consider the many histories written by, and about, the pioneers, as well as observations by outsiders as they travelled through the Utah territory.

2. Traditionalism Meets Modernism, 1900-1950

Here the tone is set for a major shift in the way Mormon history is written:

As the twentieth century began, Mormon society was in the process of rapid change. The major events of the previous decade -- the financial panic of 1893, the granting of Utah statehood, and the Spanish-American war -- each reflected the economic, political, and cultural forces that were bringing once-isolated Utah into the national mainstream. Brigham Young's Great Basin kingdom, with its emphasis on Mormon peculiarity, was giving way to national aims and more secular ways. (31)

This chapter integrates the contributions made by the RLDS Church (now the Community of Christ) to the telling of Mormon history. Especially helpful to me was the recounting of the various histories written/compiled by B.H. Roberts.

3. The New Mormon History: Historical Writing since 1950

The phrase "New Mormon History" has taken on something of a negative aspect in recent years. However, the authors explain the evolution of this phrase very nicely:

the expression "new Mormon history" [has] assumed several connotations, some pejorative. However, the general tendency of the phrase -- and the movement that it described -- remained the same. Instead of defending or attacking LDS faith claims -- one of the major characteristics of nineteenth-century Mormon historiography -- the new historians were more interested in examining the Mormon past in the hope of understanding it -- and understanding themselves. Their tools were the same as those of other professionally trained historians: secular or naturalistic historical analysis. But instead of being put off by the study of religion, as the earlier rural agrarians or Mormonism's "lost generation of intellectuals" had been, the new generation believed that Mormonism, in all its diversity, deserved study. They accordingly asked new questions and explored new topics, many of which had nothing to do with the "truth" of the religion. Their hope was to broaden the base for understanding Mormonism's history. (61)

4. The Challenge of Mormon Biography

Here the authors survey the two-fold task of evaluating early efforts at Mormon biography -- not surprisingly, some fare better than others -- and producing more accurate biographies today. They offer interesting insights into the wide range of biographies -- particularly those of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young -- that fill our bookshelves.

5. Flowers, Weeds, and Thistles: The State of Social Science Literature on the Mormons (by Armand L. Mauss)

Mauss closes this fine volume with an insightful view of the increasing interest the social sciences have had in the Mormon phenomenon.

During the early decades of the twentieth century, historians and social scientists studying the Mormons tended to look at the past itself or at the persistence of nineteenth-century Mormon institutions and beliefs into the new century (village or community organization, economic cooperation, family life, and so on). In midcentury, however, scholars began to focus more on how Mormons were changing, or at least being seriously challenged to change, as a natural and inevitable outcome of having finally engaged the modern world. (169)

The scope of this work is very ambitious, the challenges even greater. How do you report on such a broad subject in so few pages? How do you tell all sides of the story and maintain a fair, impartial view? How do you avoid being called neither an apologist, nor a critic, of the Church?

The answers can be found in this fine book's spare prose and rapid pace. The focus is on supplying facts, rather than flowery praise. As such, it is a valuable work in the field of Mormon historiography. Readers of Mormon history will find much of value here.

Particularly interesting is the authors' attempt to document, clearly and concisely, the trajectories of both faithful and critical Mormon history-telling. One can see a clear line from the earliest anti-Mormon literature to that which followed, often showing an unfortunate dependence on prior unsourced material. Likewise, faithful Mormon writers faced challenges of sourcing and dependency.

As mentioned above, I was especially glad to read the section that discussed the B. H. Roberts histories. It helped clarify for me the chronology and the motivation behind each work.

I gained some important insights on the lives and writing of some familiar authors: Fawn Brodie, Joseph Fielding Smith, etc. But I must confess that I didn't recognize many of the people mentioned in this book. New names, new book titles -- what an education I received reading this volume!

Mauss's essay breaks the model of the book somewhat. In a rather leisurely style, he surveys the state of Mormon studies among the social scientists of our day. As always, his insights are sharp and helpful.

This is one book that will remain in my collection. I have no doubt I will be referring to it as I continue my own studies in Mormon history.

I gladly recommend this book." --Jeffrey Needle, Reviewer, The Association for Mormon Letters, 2001

Ronald W. Walker, a professor of history and the director of research at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute at Brigham Young University, is the author of Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young.

David J. Whittaker, an associate professor of history and curator of nineteenth-century western and Mormon Americana at the Harold B. Lee Library, BYU, is the editor of Mormon Americana: A Guide to Sources and Collections in the United States.

James B. Allen, professor emeritus of history and a senior research fellow at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute, is the author of Trials of Discipleship: The Story of William Clayton, a Mormon and other books.

Armand Mauss, professor emeritus of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University, is the author of The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation.

Title: Mormon History

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