The theme for the two-day conference was “Beyond the Mormon Moment: Directions for Mormon Studies in the New Century.” The conference was held to honor the career of Mormon scholar Armand Mauss. The conference program is here: 2013 Mormon Studies Conference Program

In order of appearance, the speakers and presenters included (Day 1) Matt Bowman, Jan Shipps, Michael McBride, Richard Bushman, Levi Peterson, Jana Riess, (Dinner), Molly Bennion and Armand Mauss, (Day 2) Max Mueller, Paul Reeve, Wilfried Decoo, Walter van Beck, and luncheon speaker Claudia Bushman.

Videos of some of the presentations are here.

Dean Tammi Schneider, below, opened the conference.

Patrick Mason introduced the theme of the conference.

Moderator Lincoln Hale opened Session 1, “Revisiting The Angel and the Beehive: Mormonism in the 20th Century.” 

Matthew Bowman presented on “Zion: The Progressive Roots of Mormon Correlation.”

Jan Shipps concluded the first session addressing “Retrenchment and Responses in Modern Mormonism.”

Michael McBride addressed “Authority in Mormonism: Lessons from an Economic Approach.”  

Addressing “Theory and Interpretation in Mormon Studies,” Richard Bushman, the founding holder of the Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont, compared the presuppositions of his historical approach to those of Armand Mauss in his sociological approach. 

The final session on Friday was “Using Autobiography and Memoir to Understand Mormon History and Culture.” Levi Peterson addressed the topic, “Which ‘Persona’ is in Charge?: The Multiple Perspectives of Wayne Booth’s Autobiography.” 

Jana Riess concluded the afternoon addressing the topic, “Art and Artifice: The Role of Memoir in Mormon Identity Formation.”

In the Glanville Room of Malott Commons in Scripps College, Patrick Mason opened the dinner to celebrate the legacy and contributions of Armand Mauss.

Molly Bennion offered a tribute to Armand Mauss.

Armand Mauss addressed the audience.

Day 2 of the conference. Max Mueller, below, presented on “A Contracting Covenant: Redefining the Sacred Mormon Community, 1830-1840.” 

Paul Reeve concluded the first session on the topic, “All ‘Mormon Elder-Berry’s’ Children: Race, Whiteness, and the Attack on Mormon ‘Anglo-Saxon Triumphalism.'”

Max Mueller, Jana Riess, and Richard Bushman, between sessions.

Jana Riess and Patrick Mason.

The final session, “American Church or World Religion,” led off with Wilfried Decoo on “Expanding Research for the Expanding International Church.

Walter van Beek and moderator Michael Haycock, right. Walter van Beek concluded the final session of the conference by addressing “Challenges for a (Truly) Internationalizing Church: A View From across the Sahara.”

Wilfried Decoo and Walter van Beek during Q & A.

It was an impressive conference with stimulating presentations and enjoyable associations with old friends and new.

Principal photography by Robert Briggs and Morris Thurston. All rights reserved.