Season 2 Episode 3 of the Scholars & Saints Podcast Now Available

University of Virginia, Mormon Studies Program

The second season of Scholars & Saints continues as new host, UVA Ph.D. student, Nicholas Shrum, explores some of the most pressing issues and cutting-edge methods in Mormon Studies.

Season 2 Episode 3 – At the Intersection of Race and Mormon Studies (feat. W. Paul Reeve)

How did early Mormons relate with African Americans and Native Americans in the 19th Century West? This is just one of the many questions tackled by the extensive research of W. Paul Reeve, the Simmons Chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. In today’s episode, Dr. Reeve discusses his academic journey from Western U.S. history to Mormon Studies, the University of Utah’s programs in its Mormon Studies Initiative, and the expanding field of interdisciplinary research between Mormon Studies and racial, cultural, and sexual studies.

To learn more about Dr. Reeve’s own research, watch his October 2023 lecture at the UVA workshop on “Mormonism in Africa and the African Diaspora” on his “A Century of Black Mormons” database. Dr. Reeve is the author of Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness (Oxford 2015). Additionally, you can find a copy of his most recent book, Let’s Talk About Race and Priesthood on Amazon or Deseret Books. And don’t miss his upcoming book, This Abominable Slavery: Race, Religion, and the Battle Over Human Bondage in Antebellum Utah, releasing later this year.

What is Scholars and Saints?

Scholars & Saints is the official podcast of the University of Virginia’s Mormon Studies program, housed in the Department of Religious Studies. Scholars & Saints is a venue of public scholarship that promotes respectful dialogue about Latter Day Saint traditions among laypersons and academics. On this podcast, we dive into the academic study of Mormonism, engage recent and classic scholarship, interview prominent and up-and-coming thinkers in the field and reflect on Mormonism’s relevance to the broader study of religion.

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