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Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

The definitive guide to Mormon feminism and to the modern history of gender issues in the LDS Church
Gathers together the foundational essays, speeches, and poems of the Mormon feminist movement since 1970
Features material from out-of-print anthologies, magazines, journals, pamphlets, and newsletters
Includes a timeline of key events in Mormon feminist history, discussion questions, and a topical guide

Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

Description

This groundbreaking collection gathers together for the first time the essential writings of the contemporary Mormon feminist movement—from its historic beginnings in the 1970s to its vibrant present, offering the best Mormon feminist thought and writing.

No issue in Mormonism has made more headlines than the faith's distinctive approach to sex and gender. From its polygamous nineteenth-century past to its twentieth-century stand against the Equal Rights Amendment and its twenty-first-century fight against same-sex marriage, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has consistently positioned itself on the frontlines of battles over gender-related identities, roles, and rights. But even as the church has maintained a conservative position in public debates over sex and gender, Mormon women have developed their own brand of feminism by recovering the lost histories of female leadership and exploring the empowering potential of Mormon theology. The selections in this book-many gathered from out-of-print anthologies, magazines, and other ephemera—walk the reader through the history of Mormon feminism, from the second-wave feminism of the 1970s to contemporary debates over the ordination of women.

Collecting essays, speeches, poems, and prose, Mormon Feminism presents the diverse voices of Mormon women as they challenge assumptions and stereotypes, push for progress and change in the contemporary LDS Church, and band together with other feminists of faith hoping to build a better world.

Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

A Note on the Cover
Acknowledgments
Contributor List
Introduction by Joanna Brooks
Key Events in Mormon Feminist History
A. FOUNDATIONS: The 1970s
1. Claudia Lauper Bushman, "Women in Dialogue: An Introduction" (1971)
2. Claudia Lauper Bushman, "Exponent 2 is Born" (1974)
3. Carol Lynn Pearson, "Millie's Mother's Red Dress" (1974)
4. Claire Peterson, "Hide and Seek" (1974 -1975)
5. Elouise Bell, "The Implications of Feminism for BYU" (1975)
6. Judith Rasmussen Dushku, "Mormon Sisters: Feminists" (1976)
7. Margaret Munk, "First Grief" (1978)
8. Dixie Snow Huefner, "Church and Politics at the Utah IWY" (1978)
9. Sonia Johnson, "My Revolution": Excerpts from Housewife to Heretic
10. Sonia Johnson, "The Church was Once in the Forefront of the Women's Movement": Speech to the Senate Constitutional Rights Subcommittee (1978)
11. Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" (1979)
12. Linda Wilcox, "The Mormon Concept of a Mother in Heaven" (1980)
13. Lisa Hawkins Bolin, "Another Prayer" and "Let My Sisters Do for Me" (1980)
14. Carol Lynn Pearson, "Motherless House" (1980).
16. Linda King Newell, "A Gift Given, A Gift Taken: Washing, Anointing, and Blessing the Sick among Mormon Women" (1981)
17. Carol Cornwall Madsen, "Mormon Women and the Struggle for Definition: The Nineteenth-Century Church" (1981)
18. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, "Pink Dialogue and Beyond" (1981)
B. LIVED CONTRADICTIONS: The 1980s
1. Nadine Hansen, "Women and Priesthood" (1981)
2. Mary Bradford, selections from Mormon Women Speak (1982): Reva Beth Russell, "A Purple Rose;" and Cherie Taylor Pederson, "Expanding the Vision"
3. Mary Bradford, "Across the Generations" (1984)
4. Margaret Toscano, "The Missing Rib: The Forgotten Place of Queens and Priestessses in the Establishment of Zion" (1985)
5. Linda Sillitoe, "an elegy in lower case (for president spencer w. kimball)" (1985)
6. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, "Lusterware" (1986)
7. Judith Rasmussen Dushku, "The Day of the Lambs and the Lions" (1987)
8. Violet Tew Kimball, "Wife #3" (1987)
9. Carol Lynn Pearson, "A Walk in the Pink Moccasins" (1988)
10. Elouise Bell, "The Meeting" and "When Nice Ain't So Nice" (1990)
11. Sonja Farnsworth, "Mormonism's Odd Couple: The Priesthood-Motherhood Connection" (1991)
C. DEFINING MOMENTS: The 1990s
1. Cecilia Konchar Farr, "I Am a Mormon, and I am for Choice" (1992)
2. Carol Lynn Pearson, Mother Wove the Morning (1992)
3. Susan Elizabeth Howe, "The Blessing" (1992)
4. Margaret Toscano, "Put on Your Strength, O Daughters of Zion: Claiming Priesthood and Knowing the Mother" (1992)
5. Lavina Fielding Anderson, "The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership: A Contemporary Chronology" (1992)
6. White Roses: Statement (1993)
7. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, "Border Crossings" (1994)
8. Janice Allred, "Toward a Mormon Theology of God the Mother" (1994)
9. Lynn Matthews Anderson, "Towards a Feminist Interpretation of Latter-day Saint Scripture" (1994)
10. Cecilia Konchar Farr, "Dancing Through the Doctrine" (1995)
11. Lynn Matthews Anderson, "I Have an Answer" (1996)
12. Carol Lynn Pearson, "Could Feminism Have Saved the Nephites?" (1996)
D. RESURGENCE: The 2000s
1. Joanna Brooks, "Where Have All the Mormon Feminists Gone" (2003)
2. Lorie Winder Stromberg, "Power Hungry" (2004)
3. Chieko Nishimura Okazaki, "There is Always a Struggle" (2005)
4. Kynthia Taylor, "The Trouble With Chicken Patriarchy" (2007)
5. "What Women Know" (2007)
6. Lisa Butterworth, "13 Articles of Faith of Healthy Chastity" (2010)
7. Joanna Brooks, "Invocation / Benediction" (2010)
8. Valerie Hudson Cassler, "Two Trees" (2010)
9. Chelsea Shields Strayer, "Dear Mom" (2011)
10. Neylan McBaine, "To Do the Business of the Church: A Cooperative Paradigm for Examining Gendered Participation Within Church Organizational Structure" (2012)
11. Meghan Raynes, "Now I Have the Power" (2012)
12. What Women Know Collective, "All Are Alike Unto God" (2012)
13. Kate Kelly, "Equality is Not a Feeling" (2013)
14. Janan Graham, "On Black Bodies in White Spaces: Conversations on Women's Ordination and Women of African Descent in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (2013)
15. Gina Colvin, "Ordain Women, But . . . : A Womanist Perspective" (2014)
16. Lani Wendt Young, "Rejoice in the Diversity of our Sisterhood" (2014)
17. Trine Thoma Nelson, "Claim Yourself: Finding Validation and Purpose Without Institutional Approval" (2014)
18. Liz Hammond, "The Mormon Priestess: LDS Temple Theology of Womanhood" (2014)
19. Rachel Hunt Steenblik, "Welcome Baby, You are Home" (2014)
20. Carol Lynn Pearson, "Pioneers"
Glossary of Names and Terms
Additional Resources
Study Group Guide
Topical Guide
Index

Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

Author Information

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Professor of English and Comparative Literature and Associate Vice President of Faculty Advancement, San Digeo State University, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, PhD Student, Claremont Graduate University, and Hannah Wheelwright, Senior Program and Policy Associate, Center for Reproductive Rights

Joanna Brooks is Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs at San Diego State University. She is the author of four books including The Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith and the popular Twitter feed @askmormongirl.

Rachel Hunt Steenblik is a Ph.D. student in philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont Graduate University.

Hannah Wheelwright is a Programs Assistant at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, founder of Young Mormon Feminists, and a former spokeswoman for Ordain Women, an organization devoted to promoting the ordination of women in the Mormon Church.

Contributors:

Allred, Janice
Anderson, Lavina Fielding
Anderson, Lynn Matthews
Bell, Elouise: Professor Emeritus of English, Brigham Young University
Bolin, Lisa Hawkins
Bradford, Mary Lythgoe: Former Editor, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Brooks, Joanna: Professor of English and Associate Dean, San Diego State University
Bushman, Claudia Lauper: Professor of American Studies, Columbia University; former director, Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History
Butterworth, Lisa : Idaho State University
Cassler, Valerie Hudson: George Bush Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University
Colvin, Gina: Lecturer, College of Education, University of Canterbury (New Zealand)
Dushku, Judith Rasmussen: Professor of Political Science, Suffolk University
Farnsworth, Sonja
Farr, Cecilia Konchar: Professor of English, St. Catherine University
Hammond, Liz
Hansen, Nadine: Founder of the website Mormonsfor8.com
Howe, Susan Elizabeth: Associate Professor of English, Brigham Young University
Huefner, Dixie Snow: Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Utah
Johnson, Sonia
Kelly, Kate
Kimball, Violet Tew
Madsen, Carol Cornwall: Professor Emeritus of history, Brigham Young University, and former associate director, BYU Women's Research Institute
McBaine, Neylan
Munk, Margaret
Nelson, Trine Thomas
Newell, Linda King: Past President, Mormon History Association
Okazaki, Chieko Nishimura
Pearson, Carol Lynn: Author of more than thirty books and plays including My Turn on Earth and Goodbye, I Love You
Pedersen, Cherie Taylor
Peterson, Claire: Screenwriter, Man's Search for Happiness, Johnny Lingo and The Waltons
Raynes, Meghan: University of Colorado, Denver
Russell, Janan Graham: Howard University
Russell, Reva Beth
Sillitoe, Linda: Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist
Steenblik, Rachel Hunt: Claremont Graduate University
Strayer, Chelsea Shields: Boston University
Stromberg, Lorie Winder: Former managing editor of the Journal of Modern History, editor of the Mormon Women's Forum Quarterly
Taylor, Kynthia
Toscano, Margaret: Associate Professor of Humanities, University of Utah
Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher: Professor of History, Harvard University, and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife's Tale
What Women Know Collective
Wilcox, Linda
Young, Lani Wendt

Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

Reviews and Awards

"[A]n excellent, stand-alone volume that takes seriously the questions and work of Mormon women wrestling with their historical, current, and future roles in a denomination that offers the priesthood only to men, and only since 1978 to men of African descent Mormon Feminism is an in-depth, accessible resource for Mormon studies, religious studies, feminist studies, and gender studies. It is also accessible to the lay person who is not an academic." - Mormon Studies Review

"Informative. This well-organized book offers a window into an important movement in American religious history and provides a much-needed addition to feminist scholarship. Mormon feminists share much in common with other feminists of faith including evangelicals, Catholics, and Muslims. In each group, women are increasingly demanding a seat at the table. This collection makes comparison and dialogue between these groups possible. As such, it should prove a valuable resource for scholars of Mormonism, feminism, women's history, and American religion." - Journal of Southern Religion

"The editors of Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings should be praised not just for the breadth of their collection, but for the many extras that enhance the reading of the book...Engaging and instructive." - Segullah

"This volume of 'Essential Writings' is needed in every tradition. What a wonderful way to capture the history of Mormon women's struggles .... A great book for reference and freeiration." - WATER Recommends

"Destined to be a new core text on the subject of whether and how one can (and should) be a Mormon feminist" - Feminism and Religion

"The volume will appeal to all those invested in understanding the compatibility of feminism and religion even beyond Mormonism." - Publishers Weekly

"The Mormon Feminism collection compiles many of the most important feminist texts from the past half-century and it is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand contemporary Mormonism." - Juvenile Instructor

"Spanning the Second Wave to the present wave of the women's movement, these essays constitute a significant body of work on the religious implications of feminism. Their usual omission from feminist and Mormon history makes collection of them here all the more welcome and necessary. They are, indeed, 'essential.' The study of contemporary Mormonism should not be attempted without them." - Kathleen Flake, Richard Lyman Bushman Professor of Mormon Studies, University of Virginia

"The depth and breadth of Mormon feminist thought assembled in this volume will bring awareness to some and enlightenment to many. So much that has been thought and felt among Mormon women is here for reflection, reference and discussion. This book will enrich the legacy we treasure and point us to a proud future." - Aileen Hales Clyde, Chair, Utah's Task Force on Gender and Justice (1989); Regent, Utah System of Higher Education (1989-2003); Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1990-1997)

"In Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings a chorus of diverse women's voices passionately and rationally weaves a narrative that shows us where we've been and points us to the future. Set in recent decades of Mormon history, the story it tells forgets nothing of universal womanhood. As I read, I felt a reassuring sisterhood being formed among our different religious traditions and similar experiences. Together, we are invited to explore and draw lessons from the nuanced feminist themes that connect our lives, affect our faith, and impact our work for equality. There is much solace, encouragement, and inspiration to take in the presence of such strong, smart, and articulate women. This is a rich resource of feminist thought, problem solving, and frameworks for activism that I will revisit again and again." - Jennifer Crumpton, author of Femmevangelical: The Modern Girl's Guide to the Good News

"Can one be a Mormon and a feminist? Through the careful combing of historical and modern Mormon feminist writings, the complexity of what it means to be an equal-minded, intelligent woman in a patriarchal church is here presented in its hopeful, heartbreaking, faithful entirety. Though the answer is complicated, this book honors those who have bravely and eloquently added their voices to the movement. As a church we owe these women-their words and work-much recognition for their progress and perspective." - C. Jane Kendrick, writer at cjanekendrick.com

Mormon Feminism

Essential Writings

Edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright

From Our Blog

Key events and writings in contemporary Mormon feminism

Mormon feminism may seem to some a recent phenomenon, but events and writings in the history of Mormon feminism date back to the early 1970s. Here we have compiled these key moments in when Mormon women have engaged with question about gender in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a timeline of the pre-history and history of the Mormon feminist movement.

Posted on November 6, 2015

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How much do you know about Mormon feminists?

No issue in Mormonism has made more headlines than the faith's distinctive approach to sex and gender. From its polygamous nineteenth-century past to its twentieth-century stand against the Equal Rights Amendment and its twenty-first-century fight against same-sex marriage, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has consistently positioned itself on the frontlines of battles over gender-related identities, roles, and rights.

Posted on November 2, 2015

Read the blog post