Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Encyclopedia
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism
and the Latter Day Saint Movement
.
The journal publishes peer-reviewed academic articles that run the gamut from anthropology and sociology to theology, history, and science. The journal also publishes fiction, poetry, and graphic arts. Dialogue authors regularly include both members of the Mormon community and non-Mormon scholars interested in Mormon Studies. Douglas Davies
and Jan Shipps
are some of the non-Mormon academics that publish in Dialogue. Examples of Mormon authors are Eugene England
, Richard Bushman
, Claudia Bushman, Gregory Prince
, and Mary Lythgoe Bradford.
led by Eugene England
, and G. Wesley Johnson. Dialogue's original offices were located at Stanford. Brent Rushforth aided in Dialogue's initiation.
The first issue appeared in the spring of 1966, and during its first few years the Editorial Board and Staff came to include many notables in the subsequent history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as Richard Bushman
, Chase Peterson, Stanford Cazier
, Dallin H. Oaks
, Cherry Silver, and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
. Dialogue is known for publishing groundbreaking articles from respected Mormon scholars and writers such as Armand Mauss
, Hugh Nibley
, Lester Bush, and D. Michael Quinn
. Two key sponsors and advisors from the beginning were Lowell L. Bennion
, of the LDS Institute
at the University of Utah
, and Leonard J. Arrington
, later the official historian
of the LDS Church. Dialogue has nevertheless remained totally independent of church auspices over the years thanks to loyal readers and the generosity of its donors.
The founding and subsequent editorial boards have been composed mainly of scholars and lay writers who are participating members of the LDS Church. Dialogue has been the main venue over the years for the publication of articles on some of the most difficult and controversial issues in LDS history and doctrine, including the problems of race ethnicity (see Blacks and Mormonism
), women's roles, religion and politics, the history of polygamy (see Joseph Smith, Jr. and Polygamy
), Mormons and Masonry, the Book of Mormon, the career of Joseph Smith, and many other potentially difficult issues. Dialogue has constantly strived for honesty and balance in its treatment of such topics and has maintained an editorial independence
that has established it as the premier scholarly journal in Mormon Studies, now emerging as a major academic field at several universities.
The Mormon History Association
("MHA") was founded in 1966, and for the first 6–7 years of its existence, MHA members published their Mormon-related studies principally in Dialogue. MHA then founded the "Journal of Mormon History. Since then, Dialogue and The Journal of Mormon History have been two of the main venues for historical studies of Mormonism (BYU Studies, sponsored by Brigham Young University, is another). Both BYU Studies
and Sunstone Magazine
are periodicals that, like Dialogue, contain articles that range widely across the field of Mormon Studies.
with several of its editorial and board members participating as long-term guest contributors to the Mormon blog By Common Consent
. Then in early 2006 Dialogue introduced "Dialogue Paperless" at Dialoguejournal.com, with sections for ePapers, News, Letters, and Book Reviews. The "e-Papers" section intended to "supplement the printed journal by housing digital documents that qualify as papers...complete pieces, duly refereed and edited and hitherto unpublished." Early e-Papers included D. Michael Quinn's "Joseph Smith’s Experience of a Methodist “Camp-Meeting” in 1820," and articles by other authors comprising a "Critique and Defense of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon."
's J. Willard Marriott Library, in 2004 the archive of past Dialogue issues (1966 to date) was digitally scanned. The library's Special Collections now hosts the digital archive in pdf and text-searchable form. This digital collection is also mirrored on the Dialogue website.
At the 2005 annual conference of the Association for Mormon Letters
("AML"), the AML presented a "Special Award in Mormon Literary Studies" with this citation:
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
and the Latter Day Saint Movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
.
The journal publishes peer-reviewed academic articles that run the gamut from anthropology and sociology to theology, history, and science. The journal also publishes fiction, poetry, and graphic arts. Dialogue authors regularly include both members of the Mormon community and non-Mormon scholars interested in Mormon Studies. Douglas Davies
Douglas Davies
Douglas James Davies is Professor in the Study of Religion in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Durham. He is an authority in the history, theology and sociology of death. His fields of expertise also include anthropology, the study of religion, the rituals and beliefs...
and Jan Shipps
Jan Shipps
Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...
are some of the non-Mormon academics that publish in Dialogue. Examples of Mormon authors are Eugene England
Eugene England
George Eugene England, Jr. , usually credited as Eugene England, was a Mormon writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters in 1976...
, Richard Bushman
Richard Bushman
Richard Lyman Bushman is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He is currently the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University...
, Claudia Bushman, Gregory Prince
Gregory Prince
Gregory A. Prince is an American pathology researcher, businessman, author, and historian of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Biography:Prince was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating as valedictorian from Dixie College Gregory A. Prince (born 1948) is an American pathology...
, and Mary Lythgoe Bradford.
History
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, is the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies. Dialogue was originally the creation of a group of young Mormon scholars at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
led by Eugene England
Eugene England
George Eugene England, Jr. , usually credited as Eugene England, was a Mormon writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters in 1976...
, and G. Wesley Johnson. Dialogue's original offices were located at Stanford. Brent Rushforth aided in Dialogue's initiation.
The first issue appeared in the spring of 1966, and during its first few years the Editorial Board and Staff came to include many notables in the subsequent history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as Richard Bushman
Richard Bushman
Richard Lyman Bushman is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He is currently the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University...
, Chase Peterson, Stanford Cazier
Stanford Cazier
Stanford Orson "Stan" Cazier was an American educator, university administrator and scholar. He was president of California State University, Chico from 1971–1979 and Utah State University from 1979–1992.-Biographical background:...
, Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin Harris Oaks is an American attorney, jurist, author, professor, public speaker, and religious leader. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Cherry Silver, and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich , is a historian of early America and the history of women and a university professor at Harvard University...
. Dialogue is known for publishing groundbreaking articles from respected Mormon scholars and writers such as Armand Mauss
Armand Mauss
Armand Lind Mauss is an American sociologist specializing in the sociology of religion. He is professor emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Washington State University, is the most often published sociologist in the twentieth century of works on the Mormons, and is broadly recognized...
, Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Winder Nibley was an American author, Mormon apologist, and professor at Brigham Young University...
, Lester Bush, and D. Michael Quinn
D. Michael Quinn
Dennis Michael Quinn is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a professor at Brigham Young University from 1976 until his resignation in 1988. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which...
. Two key sponsors and advisors from the beginning were Lowell L. Bennion
Lowell L. Bennion
Lowell Lindsay Bennion was an American educator and counselor. Early in his career, Bennion focused much of his efforts on fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , but he sought to benefit all people in his reach.Bennion was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of...
, of the LDS Institute
Institute of Religion
Institutes of Religion provide religious educational classes for young single adult and university students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, and Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...
, later the official historian
Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...
of the LDS Church. Dialogue has nevertheless remained totally independent of church auspices over the years thanks to loyal readers and the generosity of its donors.
The founding and subsequent editorial boards have been composed mainly of scholars and lay writers who are participating members of the LDS Church. Dialogue has been the main venue over the years for the publication of articles on some of the most difficult and controversial issues in LDS history and doctrine, including the problems of race ethnicity (see Blacks and Mormonism
Blacks and Mormonism
Early Mormonism had a range of policies and doctrines relating to race in regard to African-descended people. References to black people, their social condition during the 19th century, and their spiritual place in Western Christianity as well as Mormon scriptures were complicated, with varying...
), women's roles, religion and politics, the history of polygamy (see Joseph Smith, Jr. and Polygamy
Joseph Smith, Jr. and Polygamy
Polygamy, or plural marriage, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints probably originated with the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught that polygamy was a divine commandment. Smith practiced it personally, by some accounts marrying as many as 30 women...
), Mormons and Masonry, the Book of Mormon, the career of Joseph Smith, and many other potentially difficult issues. Dialogue has constantly strived for honesty and balance in its treatment of such topics and has maintained an editorial independence
Editorial independence
Editorial independence is the freedom of editors to make decisions without interference from the owners of a publication. Editorial independence is tested, for instance, if a newspaper runs articles that may be unpopular with its advertising clientele....
that has established it as the premier scholarly journal in Mormon Studies, now emerging as a major academic field at several universities.
The Mormon History Association
Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...
("MHA") was founded in 1966, and for the first 6–7 years of its existence, MHA members published their Mormon-related studies principally in Dialogue. MHA then founded the "Journal of Mormon History. Since then, Dialogue and The Journal of Mormon History have been two of the main venues for historical studies of Mormonism (BYU Studies, sponsored by Brigham Young University, is another). Both BYU Studies
BYU Studies
BYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and Sunstone Magazine
Sunstone Magazine
Sunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
are periodicals that, like Dialogue, contain articles that range widely across the field of Mormon Studies.
List of Dialogue editors
| Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eugene England Eugene England George Eugene England, Jr. , usually credited as Eugene England, was a Mormon writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters in 1976... and G. Wesley Johnson |
1966–1970 | |
| Robert A. Rees Robert A. Rees Robert A. Rees is an educator, scholar and poet. Since 1998 he has been Director of Education and Humanities at the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, California. Rees conducts training and does workshops throughout the United States.- Current :Rees's social commentary on Glenn Beck.* “,” ... |
1970–1976 | |
| Mary Lythgoe Bradford Mary Lythgoe Bradford Mary Lythgoe Bradford is an editor and poet significant to Mormon literature. She was the editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought from 1978 to 1983, edited Mormon Women Speak , and was included on the "75 Significant Mormon Poets" list complied by Gideon Burton and Sarah Jenkins... |
1977–1982 | |
| Linda King Newell Linda King Newell Linda King Newell is an American historian and author.Newell co-authored the 1984 book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith with Valeen Tippetts Avery. During this time she was also editor of the scholarly Mormon periodical Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought with her husband L... and L. Jackson Newell |
1982–1986 | Husband and wife team |
| F. Ross Peterson and Mary Kay Peterson | 1987–1992 | |
| Martha Sonntag Bradley and Allen D. Roberts | 1993–1998 | |
| Neal Chandler and Rebecca Worthen Chandler | 1999–2003 | |
| Karen Marguerite Moloney | 2004 | Only for spring Spring (season) Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and... issue |
| Levi S. Peterson Levi S. Peterson Levi Savage Peterson is a Mormon biographer, essayist and fictionist whose best-known works include the seminal biography of Juanita Brooks, his own autobiography and his novel The Backslider, "standard for the contemporary Mormon novel". He was born and reared in the Mormon community of... |
2004–2008 | |
| Kristine Haglund Kristine Haglund Kristine Haglund is the current editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, a current or former permablogger at By Common Consent and Times and Seasons, and noted Mormon historian and cultural commentator. She has suggested that the "experience of independent Mormon publishing sector [can... |
2009— |
Dialogue on the web
In 2005 Dialogue dipped its toe into the BloggernacleBloggernacle
The Mormon blogosphere is the Mormon portion of the blogosphere...
with several of its editorial and board members participating as long-term guest contributors to the Mormon blog By Common Consent
By Common Consent
By Common Consent or “BCC” is a group weblog featuring commentary and discussion especially of contemporary Mormon culture, thought and current events. Since its foundation in 2004, BCC has been one of the leading group blogs in the Mormon Bloggernacle, and has been a mainstay on the Mormon...
. Then in early 2006 Dialogue introduced "Dialogue Paperless" at Dialoguejournal.com, with sections for ePapers, News, Letters, and Book Reviews. The "e-Papers" section intended to "supplement the printed journal by housing digital documents that qualify as papers...complete pieces, duly refereed and edited and hitherto unpublished." Early e-Papers included D. Michael Quinn's "Joseph Smith’s Experience of a Methodist “Camp-Meeting” in 1820," and articles by other authors comprising a "Critique and Defense of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon."
Dialogue subscriber survey
In 2005, Dialogue received 1,332 responses to a subscriber survey. Dialogue reports the following responses:- The geographic location of respondents was: UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
(33%), CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(17%), other Western states—Rockies to the Coast (19%), the Northeast (10-12%), elsewhere (20%). Less than 1% lived outside the U.S., though there is some indication that the availability of the on-line subscriptions may be changing the level of international readership. - The terminal education degree of respondents was: doctoral degree (40%), Master’s (31%), Bachelor’s degree (21%), no degree (7%).
- 66% of respondents attend worship service every week, another 12% attend “most weeks” (total 78%). 59% of today’s readers are returned missionaries.
- Respondents subscribe to or regularly read the following other Mormon-related publications: BYU StudiesBYU StudiesBYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
(29%), Ensign (66%), FARMS Review of Books (13%), John Whitmer Historical Association Journal (9%), Irreantum, the AMLAssociation for Mormon LettersThe Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
journal (10%), Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (17%), Journal of Mormon History (25%), Sunstone (68%), and Utah Historical Quarterly (13%). - 90% of respondents are members of the LDS Church. Around 6% of respondents described themselves a having left the LDS Church and most of these have affiliated with other denominations.
- 81% of respondents either “strongly” (32%) or “somewhat” (49%) agreed that Dialogue contributes to their personal spiritual or religious enrichment.
- 84% of respondents viewed the Book of Mormon as “authentic in any sense.” The way in which the Book of Mormon was viewed as authentic was: Literal Historical Record (almost 40%) Theology & Moral Teaching Authentic, Historicity Doubtful (24%) Moral Teachings Sound, Historicity & Divine Origin Doubtful (12%), 19th Century Literary Product (14%).
- Two-thirds (68%) of respondents find Dialogue's “current content and editorial tone” to be predominantly “objective and “independent,” 9% find it to be “hypercritical and negative,” 8% find the content/tone to be “bland, uncritical,” and 13% reported that it “depends on the subject.”
Digital archive of Dialogue
In collaboration with the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
's J. Willard Marriott Library, in 2004 the archive of past Dialogue issues (1966 to date) was digitally scanned. The library's Special Collections now hosts the digital archive in pdf and text-searchable form. This digital collection is also mirrored on the Dialogue website.
At the 2005 annual conference of the Association for Mormon Letters
Association for Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
("AML"), the AML presented a "Special Award in Mormon Literary Studies" with this citation:
Since its inception in 1966, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought has served as a central point for academic studies of Mormonism. Dialogue has promoted Mormon arts and letters by publishing hundreds of poems, short stories, personal essays, and articles of criticism. However, like many periodicals, Dialogue's treasures have generally remained only as accessible as the most recent issue or two. ...Nearly 40 years of back issues-the entire run of this seminal periodical for Mormon studies-have now been completely digitized and made accessible to the public free of charge...This collection would not be as valuable or secure for future generations were it not hosted by an academic institution committed to maintaining the accessibility and permanence of this collection. The Association for Mormon Letters commends the J. Willard Marriott Library of the University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
for providing a permanent home to this vital digital collection, and by extension, for the university's commitment to the sustained and critical assessment of Mormon arts and letters.
See also
- BloggernacleBloggernacleThe Mormon blogosphere is the Mormon portion of the blogosphere...
- List of theological journals
- List of Latter Day Saint periodicals