Jeremy Lofthouse, University of Utah
Humanities
The identity of Mormon women has been sharply contested throughout the Latter-day Saint movement. Women in the nineteenth-century were targeted by critics of Mormonism as oppressed, even enslaved through polygamy. Following the termination of polygamy, Mormon women became hyper-domestic, following patterns of mainstream America. The identity of some Mormon women has made another dramatic transition in the last decade.
The Feminist Mormon Housewife persona is becoming quite prominent in the local and national stage. As Mormons have transitioned throughout the years to shape their own identities in conjunction with national and international trends, so have women within Mormonism. This outspoken group, self-proclaimed as “angry activists with bonnets to sew,” are unique. Many are very active in their Mormon communities and very devout in their spiritual convictions. Yet they are truly activists.
Against the backdrop of female Mormon identity of the past, my paper examines the transitions which have taken place in recent past. More centrally, my paper examines the recent outburst of feminism within Mormonism, specifically the organized effort to pursue ordination to the Priesthood. I will analyze the tremendous use of the Internet by activists and the formation of feminist Mormon groups, such as Ordain Women. My thesis is that feminism within Mormonism has reached a fever pitch as a result of external feminist influences, but has also formed a unique identity among feminists as a result of convictions to the very institution it is seeking to change.
I will draw from two main sources. One will be categorized as the foundations of feminism within Mormonism. These will include writings by prominent Mormon women such as Eliza R. Snow and Helen Mar Kimball and sermons on the nature of women by church leaders, among others. Secondly, I will rely heavily on the internet presence of feminist Mormons and interviews.