“This Prison… of a Crooked, Broken, Scattered, and Imperfect Language”
Online, June 1-4 2023
Conference Committee
- Melissa Inouye, Church History Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Michelle Graabek, Department of History & Civilization, European University Institute
- Farina King, Department of Native American Studies, University of Oklahoma
- Spencer Greenhalgh, School of Information Science, University of Kentucky
Program Committee
- Melissa Inouye, Church History Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Michelle Graabek, department of History & Civilization, European University Institute
- Farina King, Department of Native American Studies, University of Oklahoma
- Matthew Bowman, Mormon Studies program, Claremont Graduate University
- Fred Axelgard, Wheatley Institute, Brigham Young University
- Spencer Greenhalgh, School of Information Science, University of Kentucky
Conference Theme
Throughout Mormonism’s scriptural canon, individuals struggle with what Joseph Smith lamented was “this prison… of a crooked, broken, scattered, and imperfect language”. Contemporary scholars, too struggle with “imperfect language”, hemmed in by disciplinary boundaries, language barriers in sources and publication outlets, and a mismatch between terms and definitions native to academic study and religious movements. Many diverse voices remain largely absent from global Mormon studies.