Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography of the Last Half Century Rating :
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
A WONDERFUL SURVEY OF CURRENT LDS/MORMON HISTORIOGRAPHY
By Steven H. Propp
Co-editor Newell Bringhurst noted in the Introdution to this 2004 book, "Over the past sixty years a growing body of historical literature has emerged, examining diverse aspects of Mormon history."
Here are some quotations from the book:
"For many years, many Mormon historians denied (Joseph) Smith's connection with these types of activities, asserting that the affidavits had been prepared as anti-Mormon statements designed to drum up opposition to Smith in the 1830s and that the 1826 court record was possibly a forgery and at best questionable as a document. But other records emerged in the 1970s and 1980s confirming that Smith had been involved in money digging." (Pg. 68)
"While some of those questioning the (Book of Mormon's) historical origins have suggested that the Church should formally repudiate the Book of Mormon, many people wisely have seen such a response as an overreaction. Contrary to the position that the Book of Mormon must be an authentic history of a central group of ancient peoples in America or it must be a hoax, a more 'catholic' middle position can be adopted that emphasizes the powerful message for the present-day LDS Church and the world as a whole." (Pg. 75-76)
"It is impossible to identify the precise level of (Joseph) Smith's involvement with the Danites---such as how many meetings he attended or how actively he directed their activities." (Pg. 102)
"A number of important historiographic essays during the 1960s and '70s examined what the new ways of explaining the past meant for Mormon history. Of concern to many Latter-day Saint historians was the trend toward secularization of what in preceding decades had been a faith-promoting history. While lauding the shift away from polemics, these students of the past often cautioned against the paucity of a purely secular approach. Practitioners of the New Mormon History sought a middle ground that invited frankness tempered by fairness." (Pg. 117)
"The Mormon Church has cut back on paper trails. The last complete Church census ... was conducted in 1950, but only selected results were published. While the Church has continued to survey its members to identify demographic and belief patterns, nearly all of these studies have been restricted to headquarters use." (Pg. 183)
"Ironically, what might be called 'faithful history,' which screens out Mormonism's difficult and controversial episodes, frequently tries the faith of uninformed Saints who hear problematic stories from other sources." (Pg. 321)
"New Mormon historians have steadfastly taken the position that establishing and confirming faith are religious questions, not historical questions and that history must limit itself to the tasks of reconstructing and interpreting the past that are its proper job. This position has obviously disquieted some General Authorities..." (Pg. 373)
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.A vital historical resource
By Midwest Book Review
Collaboratively compiled, organized and edited by Newel G. Bringhurst (past president of the Mormon History Association) and Lavina Fielding Anderson (editor of "The Journal of Mormon History"), Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography Of The Last Half Century is an impressive and seminal work of substantial and informative research in the form of sixteen essays by various authors, on diverse aspect of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during the second half of the 20th Century. Essays include "The Mormon Experience in Missouri, 1830-39", "The LDS Church in the United States since 1945", "The New Mormon Women's History", and much more. A vital historical resource, enhanced with an extensive index for easy reference.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Ignorantly, I did not grasp the meaning of "historiography"
By ONPAR
This primarily a bibliography (a word I understand better). It lists books and articles about Church history. There is value in gaining more knowledge of all these sources, and their general approach. But, I thought there would be more actual content. My fault.
Product Description
Mormonism was born less than 200 years ago, but in that short time it has developed into a dynamic world religious movement. With that growth has come the inevitable restructuring ans reevaluation of its history and doctrine. Mormon and non-Mormon scholars alike have viewed Joseph Smith's religion as fertile soil for religious, historical and sociological studies. Many early attempts to either defend or defame the Church were at best sloppy and often dishonest. It has taken decades for Mormon scholarship to mature to its present state. The editors of this book have assembled 16 essays addressing the substantial number of published works in the field of Mormon studies from 1950 to the present. The contributors come from various segments of the Mormon tradition and fairly represent the broad intellectual spectrum of that tradition. Each essay focuses on a particular aspect of Mormonism (history, women's issues, polygamy, etc), and each is careful to evenhandedly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the books under discussion. More importantly, each volume is placed in context with other related works, giving the reader a panoramic view of contemporary research. Students of Mormonism will find this collection of historiographical essays an invaluable addition to their libraries.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3260489 in Books
- Published on: 2004-08-01
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.84" h x6.89" w x.94" l,1.83 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 482 pages
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