Scholars & Saints

America's Homegrown Faith (feat. Benjamin Park)

UVA Mormon Studies Season 2 Episode 5

How is it that Mormonism can be considered "America's most successful, homegrown religion" and yet have undergone vast assimilation to American culture in the late 19th and 20th centuries? Dr. Benjamin Park, Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University, details Mormonism's evolutions and transitions from its inception to today on this episode of Scholars & Saints. Drawing on his book, American Zion: A New History of Mormonism, Dr. Park takes host Nicholas Shrum on a historical tour of Mormon history. He investigates instances of Mormon cultural assimilation, racial relations, educational practices, and the broader role that Mormonism plays in understanding American history and its undergirding religious influences.

To find out more about Dr. Park and his upcoming projects, click here.