Even though the majority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 15 million members of record live outside of the United States, most scholarship on the church has focused on the theologies, histories, lived experiences, and institutions of Mormons in the United States. To address this significant vacuum in research and scholarship, CGU’s Mormon Studies program is working to promote original historical, sociological, anthropological, and theological research on the international (non-US) manifestations of Mormonism, focusing primarily on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members.
This emerging field of global Mormon studies seeks to understand and give voice to Mormonism in its many international contexts, and to consider how Mormonism engages with issues of global significance, including religious freedom, democratization, secularization, gender equality, comparative religious belief and worship, and violence and peace-building.
Center for Global Mormon Studies
Claremont Graduate University (CGU) proposes to establish a Center for Global Mormon Studies to become the world’s leader in advancing scholarly and public understanding of Mormonism around the world.
Global Mormon Oral Histories
This project began in 2018 and its purpose is to collect and archive the life histories of Latter-day Saints living outside the United States.
The Mormonism and Migration Project
This project seeks to gather the life stories of Latter-day Saints who have crossed borders and archive documents (photos, church programs, etc.) that elucidate their lives.
Online Resources