Religion and the American West - by Jessica Lauren Nelson (Hardcover)

About the Book

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-191)

Book Synopsis

Religion and the American West offers a lavishly illustrated and comprehensive overview of the ways religion has shaped the idea of the American West and how the region has influenced broader religious and racial categories. Starting when the concept of the American West emerged in the early nineteenth century and continuing through modern times, Religion and the American West explores the interplay between a wide range of American belief systems, from established world religions to new spiritual innovations.

A stunning selection of material and print culture illustrates the varied range of religious expressions across the history of the American West. Taken as a whole, the contributors challenge longstanding definitions of the American West and provide a new narrative that recenters our attention on the lived experiences of diverse peoples and communities. The book also serves as the companion publication for the New-York Historical Society's traveling exhibition Acts of Faith. Religion and the American West is a story of vibrant innovation and tragic conflict, showcasing how historical actors and modern-day readers wrestle with the meaning of religious belief in the American West.

Review Quotes

In clear, accessible language Nelson and her contributors boldly explore relationships between the American West and religion in ways that expanded my understanding of both.--Todd Kerstetter, author of God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land: Faith and Conflict in the American West

This lavishly illustrated collection of essays on religion and the American West is an original, effective introduction to a fascinating field. The authors deftly encapsulate the millennia of human history, and the millions of square miles of human habitation and migration routes, into smart, innovative essays. Using vivid storytelling, they make sophisticated theoretical concepts and cutting-edge scholarship accessible to lay readers.--Quincy D. Newell, author of Your Sister in the Gospel: The Life of Jane Manning James, a Nineteenth-Century Black Mormon

This wonderful book weaves together the threads of many different stories--intimate, diverse, and often haunting--in ways that set a new standard for the field. Religion emerges here as a product of encounter, inextricable from the material and often violent conditions of daily life, a way for all sorts of people to shape communities and (re)make homes throughout the American West. In the process, Nelson and her coauthors provide fresh illumination into the imperial history of this region and into its contested futures.--Tisa Wenger, author of Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal

Until now, few have explored how the forces of religion and the American West have created and transformed one another and the people and places they pervade. This insightful book and the stunning exhibition that it accompanies provide the visual and intellectual grounding to see the connections in myriad forms of tragedy and majesty.--Virginia Scharff, coauthor of Home Lands: How Women Made the West