People of Paradox

A History of Mormon Culture

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Denominations, Mormonism, Church
Cover of the book People of Paradox by Terryl L. Givens, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Terryl L. Givens ISBN: 9780199883257
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: August 29, 2007
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Terryl L. Givens
ISBN: 9780199883257
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: August 29, 2007
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In People of Paradox, Terryl Givens traces the rise and development of Mormon culture from the days of Joseph Smith in upstate New York, through Brigham Young's founding of the Territory of Deseret on the shores of Great Salt Lake, to the spread of the Latter-Day Saints around the globe. Throughout the last century and a half, Givens notes, distinctive traditions have emerged among the Latter-Day Saints, shaped by dynamic tensions--or paradoxes--that give Mormon cultural expression much of its vitality. Here is a religion shaped by a rigid authoritarian hierarchy and radical individualism; by prophetic certainty and a celebration of learning and intellectual investigation; by existence in exile and a yearning for integration and acceptance by the larger world. Givens divides Mormon history into two periods, separated by the renunciation of polygamy in 1890. In each, he explores the life of the mind, the emphasis on education, the importance of architecture and urban planning (so apparent in Salt Lake City and Mormon temples around the world), and Mormon accomplishments in music and dance, theater, film, literature, and the visual arts. He situates such cultural practices in the context of the society of the larger nation and, in more recent years, the world. Today, he observes, only fourteen percent of Mormon believers live in the United States. Mormonism has never been more prominent in public life. But there is a rich inner life beneath the public surface, one deftly captured in this sympathetic, nuanced account by a leading authority on Mormon history and thought.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In People of Paradox, Terryl Givens traces the rise and development of Mormon culture from the days of Joseph Smith in upstate New York, through Brigham Young's founding of the Territory of Deseret on the shores of Great Salt Lake, to the spread of the Latter-Day Saints around the globe. Throughout the last century and a half, Givens notes, distinctive traditions have emerged among the Latter-Day Saints, shaped by dynamic tensions--or paradoxes--that give Mormon cultural expression much of its vitality. Here is a religion shaped by a rigid authoritarian hierarchy and radical individualism; by prophetic certainty and a celebration of learning and intellectual investigation; by existence in exile and a yearning for integration and acceptance by the larger world. Givens divides Mormon history into two periods, separated by the renunciation of polygamy in 1890. In each, he explores the life of the mind, the emphasis on education, the importance of architecture and urban planning (so apparent in Salt Lake City and Mormon temples around the world), and Mormon accomplishments in music and dance, theater, film, literature, and the visual arts. He situates such cultural practices in the context of the society of the larger nation and, in more recent years, the world. Today, he observes, only fourteen percent of Mormon believers live in the United States. Mormonism has never been more prominent in public life. But there is a rich inner life beneath the public surface, one deftly captured in this sympathetic, nuanced account by a leading authority on Mormon history and thought.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Streptomyces in Nature and Medicine by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Chosen People by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Material Dreams by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Dangerous Harvest by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Adaptive Perspectives on Human-Technology Interaction by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book The Buddhist Roots of Zhu Xi's Philosophical Thought by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Media and Protest Logics in the Digital Era by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book A Most Ingenious Paradox by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Social Marketing Research for Global Public Health by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Nothing Like a Dame by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Philosophy of Technology: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Learning with the Lights Off by Terryl L. Givens
Cover of the book Collect and Record! by Terryl L. Givens
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy