Mormon Feminism
Essential Writings
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This impressive volume collects four and half decades of writings by Mormon feminists. Stretching from consciousness-raising groups to online activism, the collected works cogently argue that being Mormon and feminist is not an oxymoron, backing up this assertion with historical proof, humor, scriptural argument, and poetry. The concerns of Mormon women have shifted over the years, and this volume displays a diverse spectrum of feminisms and argumentation methods, from gentle critique to vehement polemic. Each piece includes a brief introduction to the author and the context for its original publication, though it is not always clear which pieces are complete and which are excerpts. Some directly respond to statements and sermons by Mormon leaders; the arguments are clear, but including the original texts would have helped those further removed from the tradition and debate. These are minor issues in a generally excellent work. The introduction to the overall collection by Brooks, which provides a broad history of Mormon feminism, is superb. Probably best suited for topical research (a useful index is included), the volume will appeal to all those invested in understanding the compatibility of feminism and religion even beyond Mormonism.
