Stacey Roman

McManama-Kearin

ANTH 1010

Part 1: Culture Selection

The culture I have been curios about is the Mormon culture. The first thought that comes to mind

when people think of Utah is typically the Mormon church. I have family members who attend

church every week and have acquaintances from high school who are currently serving their

missions across the globe. By studying those around me I can see the difference between our

opinions and practices. I would like to understand from their perspective what it is like to be

apart of their community and the reason for each of their practice. There tends to be a stereotype

for what it is like to apart of the church and I would like to see how true these stereotypes can be.

For my stance on religion I do believe in an superior power, I most of the time give them the

label as God, but to choose a specific religion has been something I never thought seriously

about. With studying this culture, I hope to learn more about my stance with this religion and to

understand how and why these people practice their culture.

Here are the literary sources that I plan on using for this ethnography:

Decoo, Wilfried. 2013. “In Search of Mormon Identity: Mormon Culture, Gospel Culture, and an

American Worldwide Church.” International Journal of Mormon Studies 6 (December): 1–53.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=94899323&site=eds-live.

 I chose this article because it discusses how the religion contributes to identity and how

the culture is seen cross globally and through art expression.

Legerski, Elizabeth, and Anita Harker. 2018. “The Intersection of Gender, Sexuality, and

Religion in Mormon Mixed-Sexuality Marriages.” Sex Roles 78 (7–8): 482–500.

doi:10.1007/s11199-017-0817-0.

 I chose this article because it discusses marriages and sexuality with former or ongoing

members of the Mormon church. The Mormon church is seen as a conservative religion

who would not accept same sex marriage. With this article I can see data about the

members and their stance on marriage and their sexuality.

Sumerau, J. Edward, and Ryan T. Cragun. 2015. “The Hallmarks of Righteous Women:

Gendered Background Expectations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day

Saints.” Sociology of Religion 76 (1): 49–71. doi:10.1093/socrel/sru040.

 I chose this article because it discusses gender within their culture and the LDS leader’s

perspective on gender roles. I believe this article will be a great source to discuss the

inequality in gender.