The European Mormon Studies Association (EMSA) is an independent scholarly organisation that supports the academic study of Mormonism in Europe. If you would like to receive occasional updates or have announcements you would like to share, you can join EMSA
by clicking here. For other enquiries, please send us an
email. We are particularly keen on keeping
our bibliography up-to-date.
EMSA also sponsors an
annual academic conference.
May 9, 2008 Kim
The European Mormon Studies Association
Annual Conference: 21-22 August 2008
Organized together with the Department of Comparative Religion
at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
“Mormonism and the Christian Tradition”
General Information
Registration: Registration is now available on this website. Scroll down and fill-in the registration box. Please register before June 30 in order to help with the conference planning, although it will be possible to register also after that.
Venue: Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Arts building Arken, Tehtaankatu / Fabriksgatan 2, 20500 Turku / Åbo (due to the bilingual nature of the city, the street and city name are given in Finnish / Swedish). The university is located close to Turku cathedral, one of the main landmarks. See the map of Turku (press the British flag for service in English) and a map of the university campus.
The conference will be held in the Armfelt auditorium on the first floor of the Arken building, shown as Å22 in grid D3 of the campus map. Use the entrance to the building shown just above the circled Å22.
Travel: You can arrive in Turku by air, train, bus or sea. The conference venue is located within walking distance (about 15 minutes) of Turku city centre. For intra-Finland train or bus travel (in case you fly to Helsinki and decide to continue by land from there), see http://www.vr.fi (train) and http://www.expressbus.com (bus).
Accommodation: There are plenty of hotels and hostels in Turku. You can find a suitable place for example through here (hotels) and here (hostels).
Food: There is a cafeteria with lunch and snack services available in the Arken building. The possibility for a social event on the evening of Thursday 21 August, involving dinner, is currently being probed.
Conference fee: Costs are covered through a fee of 5 Euros per participant. You are requested to pay when arriving at the conference venue. No lunches or dinners are covered by the conference fee.
Contact: Kim Östman, Conference coordinator (kim.ostman@abo.fi, +358-40-829 6192).
Register: Please register using this form:
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Preliminary Programme
Thursday, 21 August
9:30 – 11:30 Mormons and Christians – Tutorial Session
Brian Birch (Utah Valley University, USA)
On Being Christian: Doing Justice to the Tradition
Grant Underwood (Brigham Young University, USA)
Mannermaa, Mormonism, and the Question of Imparted v. Imputed Righteousness
13:00 – 15:00 Keynote Session
Heikki Räisänen (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and the Bible
Panel discussion: Brian Birch, Douglas J. Davies, Heikki Räisänen and Grant Underwood
15:15 – 17:15 Mormon Doctrine and Identity
Graham Stott (Arab American University, Palestine)
The Martyrdoms at Ammonihah and the Sacrifice of Christ
Risto Räty (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
The Challenges of Latter-day Saint Identity
Stephen J. Fleming (University of California at Santa Barbara, USA)
Mormonism and the Christianity of the Folk
Douglas J. Davies (Durham University, United Kingdom)
The Holy Spirit in Latter-day Saint Thought
Evening program: Possibilities for a social event including dinner are being probed.
Friday, 22 August
9:30 – 11:30 Comparative Perspectives
Ronan James Head (Johns Hopkins University, USA / United Kingdom)
Mormon Children in the British Classroom: A Survey of Attitudes Towards School-Based Statutory Religious Education
Reid L. Neilson (Brigham Young University, USA)
Convicted Civility: Mormons and Evangelicals in Dialogue
Johnnie Glad (University of Stavanger, Norway)
Proclaiming the Message: A Comparison of the Mormon Missionary Strategy with Other Mainstream Christian Missions
Richard Sherlock (Utah State University, USA)
Mormonism in a Comparative Christian Context
13:00 – 15:00 Historical Perspectives
David M. Morris (University of Chichester, United Kingdom)
Hunters and Gatherers: Nineteenth-Century Mormon Leadership in the British Isles
Kim Östman (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
Reactions of Lutheran Clergy to Mormon Proselytizing in Finland, 1875–1889
Fred E. Woods (Brigham Young University, USA)
George Ramsden, the Guion Line and the Mormon Immigration Connection
Ron E. Bartholomew (Brigham Young University, USA)
Nineteenth-Century Missiology of the Bedfordshire Conference and its Interrelationship with other Christian Sects
15:15 – 17:15 Contemporary Perspectives
Dustin J. Eaton (Claremont Graduate University, USA)
European Mission, European Baptisms? The Changing Face of Mormon Baptisms in Europe
Walter van Beek (Tilburg University, The Netherlands)
The Gideon Syndrome in European Mormonism
Michael W. Homer (Utah State Historical Society, USA)
The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: U.S. Perspectives
Massimo Introvigne (Center for Studies on New Religions, Italy)
The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: European Perspectives
Closing of the Conference
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December 3, 2007 Kim
The European Mormon Studies Association
Annual Conference
Organized together with the Department of Comparative Religion
at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
21–22 August 2008
Keynote Address: Heikki Räisänen
Professor of New Testament Exegesis Emeritus, University of Helsinki
Call for Papers
“Mormonism and the Christian Tradition”
The relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition is hotly contested, especially in religious circles. Whatever the precise nature of that relationship is, it provides rich opportunities for scholarly probing in domains such as sociology, history, theology, anthropology and religious studies. Keynoter and acclaimed theologian Heikki Räisänen, for example, will speak concerning his research on Mormonism’s founder Joseph Smith and the relationship of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, two of the faith’s central texts.
Other potential topics abound. Europe’s religious landscape with its national churches presents Mormonism with a very different situation than does the United States, the movement’s homeland. How has this shaped Mormonism’s European manifestations? How has the relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition, with the attendant processes of boundary negotiation, played out in Europe historically? Who are Europe’s Mormons? What are Mormonism’s contributions to the wider range of Christian thought?
Those wishing to present a paper at the conference are requested to send a 200-word abstract to Kim Östman at the below e-mail address. The abstract deadline is 15 April 2008. If accepted, a notification will be given by 15 May 2008. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,000–3,500 words, being delivered in a time of 20–25 minutes each. A question and answer period will be available following each paper. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.
Conference attendees will be charged 20 EUR (15 EUR students), with a reduction available to those who register in advance. Please check the website for updates.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Kim Östman
Conference Coordinator / 2008, European Mormon Studies Association
Phone: +358 (0)40 829 6192
E-mail: kim.ostman@abo.fi
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com
Please feel free to distribute the attached Call for Papers PDF-file.
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August 22, 2007 Ronan
Many thanks are due to all those who made the inaugural EMSA conference such a resounding success, and particularly to David Morris who organised the whole event. We heard a stimulating mix of papers and enjoyed a congenial time over three flood-less days. Special thanks go to Dialogue, BYU Studies, and the Mormon Scholars Fund for their financial support of the conference, and the donor who treated us to a wonderful pub-meal on Thursday evening. We look forward to next year’s conference in Finland.
Participants:
Douglas Davies, Wouter van Beek, Lee & Steve Fleming, Lydia & Warrick Kear, Rebecca & Ronan James Head, Anthea & David Head, Kim Östman, Jennifer Adam, Jiro Numano, David Morris, Alison & Steve Carter, Linda & Martin Holden, Armand Mauss, Susan Eliason, Gordon Mauss, Fred Woods, Ron Bartholomew, Terry O’Dea, Marion & John McLaverty, Beverly Plester, John Fowles.
Watch this space for details on the forthcoming publication of the conference proceedings.
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July 30, 2007 Ronan
Programme here.
Venue: University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, WR2 6AJ. Leave extra time to get through Worcester (the university is on the opposite side of the city from the M5 motorway). See map here.
The conference will be held in the Cotswold Suite on the first floor of the main building (building #2 here). We will try to put up some posters to guide you to the room.
Parking: Park in the long-stay car park at the Henwick Road entrance (£1.50/day). Sign-posting from the car park to the main building isn’t great, but it’s a small campus.
Food: There is a cafeteria available in the main building. We will organise dinner for Thursday night at a local restaurant. Please note, the dinner scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled, to be replaced by a lunchtime BBQ at Gadfield Elm (map here).
Costs: Conference fees are £15 (£10 concessions). If you tried to book online but ran into difficulties, please let us know and we will offer the discounted rate. Please bring money for food — it will not be covered by the conference fee (which is intended only to cover our costs to the University of Worcester).
Shuttles/Bus: There should be space in some cars to shuttle people between the city centre and the university, and to Gadfield Elm on Saturday. The #31 bus passes the university.
Contact: Ronan James Head (01684 572686), David Morris (0790 337 4685).
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July 2, 2007 David
European Mormon Studies Association Conference 2007, University of Worcester, England
‘Periphery and Centre: European Mormons and their Relationship with North America, 1837-2007′
Thursday 2 August 2007
9:00-10:00 Registration and Welcome
10:00-12:00 Session 1 (Session chair: David M. Morris, University of Chichester)
- Introduction to Conference and European Mormon Studies Association (David M. Morris, University of Chichester)
- A Finnish Mormon Temple or ‘America in Karakallio’? The Activation of a Stereotype at an Encounter of Cultures (Kim B. Östman, Åbo Akademi University
- Mormonism and the British Northwest: Tracing the Roots of Mormonism (Stephen J. Fleming, University of California at Santa Barbara)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Isle of Man: A Brief Study of a Peripheral Area and its Relationship to the Main Body of the Church (Martin E. Holden, Independent Scholar)
14:00-16:00 Session 2 (Session chair: Kim B. Östman, Åbo Akademi University)
- An LDS Soundworld for the Twenty-First Century: A Thesis Revisited (Warrick N. Kear, Church Education System)
- Making Adjustments: Babel, Bees, and the Book of Mormon
(Ronan James Head, Johns Hopkins University)
- Identifying Jesus in Mormonism (Douglas Davies, University of Durham)
- Mormons in an ‘Exceptional’ Europe: LDS and the Secularisation Paradigm (Walter E. A. van Beek, African Studies Centre, Leiden)
17.00 Dinner
19.00 Session 3 Keynote Address (Session chair: David M. Morris, University of Chichester)
- Armand L. Mauss, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Emeritus, Washington State University, and former editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
***
Friday 3 August 2007
9:00-10:00 EMSA Board Business Meeting
10:00-12:00 Session 4 (Session chair: Ronan James Head, Johns Hopkins University)
- The Rhetoric of the Gathering and Zion: Consistency Through Change 1831-1920 (David M. Morris, University of Chichester)
- The Place of Liverpool in the Mormon Gathering (Fred E. Woods, Brigham Young University)
- The Patterns of Missionary Work and Emigration in Nineteenth Century Buckinghamshire, England (Ronald Bartholomew, Brigham Young University)
- Patriotism and Resistance, Brotherhood and Bombs: The Experience of the German Saints and World War II (Steven Carter, Henderson State University)
14:00-16:00 Session 5 Round Table Discussion (Session chair: Ronan James Head, Johns Hopkins University)
- European Mormonism and the Future of Mormon Studies in Europe: Armand L. Mauss, Douglas Davies, Walter E. A. van Beek
Close of conference and announcements (Kim B. Östman, Åbo Akademi University)
***
Saturday 4 August 2007
10:00-15:00 Gadfield Elm Chapel and Church History Tour
- Presentations at Gadfield Elm relating to the history and restoration of the building, and the musical culture of the United Brethren. Visit to Benbow Pond and the Malvern Hills. BBQ lunch.
***
Registration
Participants are invited to register for the conference by following this link. Advance registration costs 10 GBP (5 GBP for students).
Arrival and Accommodation
Local airports to Worcester include Birmingham, Coventry, and, to a lesser extent, East Midlands. The budget airlines who fly there are BMI Baby, Thomson (TUI), and Ryanair respectively. Most major carriers fly to Birmingham (BHX). London Heathrow has good bus links to virtually everywhere and Worcester is well-connected to the trains. An excellent budget airlines’ sources is www.skyscanner.net.
For accommodation, visit:
http://www.visitworcester.co.uk/sleep/guesthouses.asp
and:
http://www.worc.ac.uk/about/facilityhire/3402.html
Please let the conference organisers know if you need any help making arrangements. We will be providing help and advice at the conference regarding food, transport to and from the venue, etc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
David M. Morris, University of Chichester
Conference Coordinator, European Mormon Studies Association
Ph: +44 (0)790 337 4685 Fax: +44 (0)870 132 8807
Email: davidmmorris at euromormonstudies dot com
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March 26, 2007 Ronan
The inaugural conference of the European Mormon Studies Association (EMSA) will be held at the University of Worcester, England on 2-4 August 2007. The conference theme is, “Periphery and Centre: European Mormons and their Relationship with North America, 1837-2007.” Papers are invited that represent a wide range of research topics relating to the experience of Mormonism within Europe and of Mormon Europeans. (Europeans researching any aspect of Mormonism are also welcome.) Please send an abstract to David Morris by 15 April 2007.
The keynote address will be offered by Armand L. Mauss, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Emeritus, Washington State University, and former editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Confirmed participants include Fred E. Woods, Brigham Young University; Douglas Davies, University of Durham; Walter van Beek, Utrecht University.
Registration
Participants are invited to register for the conference by following this link. Advance registration costs 10 GBP (5 GBP for students).
Arrival and Accommodation
Local airports to Worcester include Birmingham, Coventry, and, to a lesser extent, East Midlands. The budget airlines who fly there are BMI Baby, Thomson (TUI), and Ryanair respectively. Most major carriers fly to Birmingham (BHX). London Heathrow has good bus links to virtually everywhere and Worcester is well-connected to the trains. An excellent budget airlines’ sources is www.skyscanner.net.
For accommodation, visit:
http://www.visitworcester.co.uk/sleep/guesthouses.asp
and:
http://www.worc.ac.uk/about/facilityhire/3402.html
Please let the conference organisers know if you need any help making arrangements.
Programme
Thursday 2 August
9-10 Registration and Welcome
10-12 Session 1
2-4 Session 2
7-9 Keynote Address
Friday 3 August
9-10 Business Meeting
10-12 Session 3
2-4 Session 4
Saturday 4 August
10-3 Church history tour (Benbow Farm, Gadfield Elm, Malvern Hills)
6-8 Dinner
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
David M. Morris, University of Chichester
Conference Coordinator, European Mormon Studies Association
Ph: +44 (0)790 337 4685 Fax: +44 (0)870 132 8807
Email: davidmmorris at euromormonstudies dot com
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February 21, 2007 Ronan
The European Mormon Studies Association (EMSA)
Inaugural Conference
University of Worcester, England
2-4 August 2007
Keynote address: Armand L. Mauss, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Emeritus, Washington State University; Former Editor, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Call for Papers
“Periphery and Centre: European Mormons and their Relationship with North America, 1837-2007″
While scholars have historically emphasised the experience of Mormonism within the United States, there is a rich legacy of Mormonism within Europe, beginning with the arrival of the first Mormon missionaries one hundred and seventy years ago in 1837. European Mormons in this Mormon periphery have had a changing relationship with the American centre, from the 19th century when emigration to the centre was encouraged, to the 20th century when emigration was no longer church policy. What are the stories of those 19th century Mormons who stayed behind? How have European Mormons viewed the United States through the years? What is the current relationship between Mormonism in Europe and its American centre?
Papers are invited that represent a wide range of research topics relating to the experience of Mormonism within Europe. We are happy to welcome scholarly papers that come from different fields of study: historical, theological, literary, sociological, anthropological, and political.
Please send an abstract to David Morris by 15 April 2007. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,500–4,000 words, being delivered in a time of 20-30 minutes each. A question and answer session will be available following each paper. Notification of acceptance will be given by 1 May 2007. Session chairs may request a draft paper in order to offer a response. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.
Conference attendees will be charged 15 GBP (10 GBP students), with a five pounds reduction available to those who register in advance (details to follow).
Worcester is a beautiful cathedral town in the heart of England, 10 miles away from the Malvern Hills and the Mormon historical sites of Benbow’s Farm and the newly-restored Gadfield Elm chapel. A history tour will be offered as part of the conference. Details on transport to Worcester and accommodation in the city are available at the Worcester tourist information centre.
Download, print, and share the conference poster and call for papers.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
David M. Morris, University of Chichester
Conference Coordinator, European Mormon Studies Association
Ph: +44 (0)790 337 4685 Fax: +44 (0)870 132 8807
Email: davidmmorris at euromormonstudies dot com
2 comments »
October 21, 2006 Ronan
The Mormon weblog, By Common Consent, has posted a brief review/description of Rick Phillips, “Rethinking the International Expansion of Mormonism,” Nova Religio 10(1):52-68, August 2006.
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October 20, 2006 Ronan
EMSA intends to offer brief reviews of recent publications. Below is a review of Polly Aird, “Without Purse or Scrip in Scotland,” Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought 39(2):46-69, Summer 2006. (Available for free download.)
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