About the book
The nineteenth-century history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Max Perry Mueller argues, illuminates the role that religion played in forming the notion of three “original” American races—red, black, and white—for Mormons and others in the early American Republic. Recovering the voices of a handful of black and Native American Mormons who resolutely wrote themselves into the Mormon archive, Mueller threads together historical experience and Mormon scriptural interpretations. He finds that the Book of Mormon is key to understanding how early followers reflected but also departed from antebellum conceptions of race as biblically and biologically predetermined. Mormon theology and policy both challenged and reaffirmed the essentialist nature of the racialized American experience.
The Book of Mormon presented its believers with a radical worldview, proclaiming that all schisms within the human family were anathematic to God’s design. That said, church founders were not racial egalitarians. They promoted whiteness as an aspirational racial identity that nonwhites could achieve through conversion to Mormonism. Mueller also shows how, on a broader level, scripture and history may become mutually constituted. For the Mormons, that process shaped a religious movement in perpetual tension between its racialist and universalist impulses during an era before the concept of race was secularized.
Editions of Race and the Making of the Mormon People
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469633756
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469636160
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469633770
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890853684
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469633763
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890853677
Read an Excerpt
The nineteenth-century history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Max Perry Mueller argues, illuminates the role that religion played in forming the notion of three “original” American races—red, black, and white—for Mormons and others in the early American Republic. Recovering the voices of a handful of black and Native American Mormons who resolutely wrote themselves into the Mormon archive, Mueller threads together historical experience and Mormon scriptural interpretations. He finds that the Book of Mormon is key to understanding how early followers reflected but also departed from antebellum conceptions of race as biblically and biologically predetermined. Mormon theology and policy both challenged and reaffirmed the essentialist nature of the racialized American experience.
The Book of Mormon presented its believers with a radical worldview, proclaiming that all schisms within the human family were anathematic to God’s design. That said, church founders were not racial egalitarians. They promoted whiteness as an aspirational racial identity that nonwhites could achieve through conversion to Mormonism. Mueller also shows how, on a broader level, scripture and history may become mutually constituted. For the Mormons, that process shaped a religious movement in perpetual tension between its racialist and universalist impulses during an era before the concept of race was secularized.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Race and the Making of the Mormon People about?
The nineteenth-century history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Max Perry Mueller argues, illuminates the role that religion played in forming the notion of three “original” American races—red, black, and white—for Mormons and others in the early American Republic. Recovering the voices of a handful of black and Native American Mormons who resolutely wrote themselves into the Mormon archive, Mueller threads together historical experience and Mormon scriptural interpretations. He finds that the Book of Mormon is key to understanding how early followers reflected but also departed from antebellum conceptions of race as biblically and biologically predetermined. Mormon theology and policy both challenged and reaffirmed the essentialist nature of the racialized American experience.
The Book of Mormon presented its believers with a radical worldview, proclaiming that all schisms within the human family were anathematic to God’s design. That said, church founders were not racial egalitarians. They promoted whiteness as an aspirational racial identity that nonwhites could achieve through conversion to Mormonism. Mueller also shows how, on a broader level, scripture and history may become mutually constituted. For the Mormons, that process shaped a religious movement in perpetual tension between its racialist and universalist impulses during an era before the concept of race was secularized.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Race and the Making of the Mormon People?
Philosophy and Religion > Religion and beliefs > Christianity > Christian Churches, denominations, groups > Denominations of American origin
Where can I read a sample of Race and the Making of the Mormon People?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469633756
How long is Race and the Making of the Mormon People and how many pages does it have?
Race and the Making of the Mormon People has 352 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Race and the Making of the Mormon People?
Max Perry Mueller
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Race and the Making of the Mormon People is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469633756) and paperback(ISBN 9781469636160) and ebook(ISBN 9781469633770) and ebook(ISBN 9798890853684) and ebook(ISBN 9781469633763) and pdf(ISBN 9798890853677)
Where can I buy Race and the Making of the Mormon People online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Race and the Making of the Mormon People from below
Where can I buy Race and the Making of the Mormon People?