Armand Mauss
Encyclopedia
Armand Lind Mauss is an American
sociologist
specializing in the sociology of religion. He is professor emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Washington State University
, is the most often published sociologist in the twentieth century of works on the Mormons
, and is broadly recognized as one of the leading Mormon intellectuals of his generation.
in California, where he taught courses on the history and sociology of the Mormons and helped to develop the Council for the Study of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Howard W. Hunter Chair in Mormon Studies , first occupied by Richard L. Bushman.
Author or editor of five books and scores of academic articles, Mauss also served as editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, the major journal in its field. He has received three different awards from the Mormon History Association
for his books and other works, and two from the Dialogue Foundation for his articles in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the major scholarly journal in Mormon Studies, independent of Church auspices. Mauss had a formative influence on the rise and survival of Dialogue, serving 20 years on its editorial or advisory boards, and then ten years as either chairman or member of the Dialogue Foundation's Board of Directors. Mauss also served as president of the Mormon History Association from 1997–1998.
and grew up in California, graduating from Oakland High School
in 1946. A life-long Mormon, he served a full-time, two-year mission as a youth for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England, and throughout his life in many other lay ecclesiastical roles. In 1949, he accompanied his family to Japan where his father was sent to preside over the work of the Church in east Asia. In 1954 Mauss graduated from Sophia University
of Tokyo, a distinguished Jesuit institution, with a B.A. in History and Asian Studies. While in Japan, he was also inducted into the U.S. Air Force, serving four years in military intelligence. During that period he was married to Ruth E. Hathaway. They eventually became parents of six sons and two daughters. After returning to California, Mauss earned his M. A. degree in 1957 (history, with an emphasis on Asia) and in 1970 his Ph.D. in sociology, both at the University of California, Berkeley
.
Representative articles since 2000
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
specializing in the sociology of religion. He is professor emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
, is the most often published sociologist in the twentieth century of works on the Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
, and is broadly recognized as one of the leading Mormon intellectuals of his generation.
Academic work
Mauss joined the Washington State University faculty of sociology in 1969, formally retiring there in 1999. During his career, he taught and published in several different fields of sociology and social problems, but his work in the sociology of religion was ultimately the most visible. He has enjoyed invitations as a visiting professor to several universities in California, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In 2004, he was invited as a visiting scholar to the School of Religion at the Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
in California, where he taught courses on the history and sociology of the Mormons and helped to develop the Council for the Study of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Howard W. Hunter Chair in Mormon Studies , first occupied by Richard L. Bushman.
Author or editor of five books and scores of academic articles, Mauss also served as editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, the major journal in its field. He has received three different awards from the Mormon History Association
Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...
for his books and other works, and two from the Dialogue Foundation for his articles in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the major scholarly journal in Mormon Studies, independent of Church auspices. Mauss had a formative influence on the rise and survival of Dialogue, serving 20 years on its editorial or advisory boards, and then ten years as either chairman or member of the Dialogue Foundation's Board of Directors. Mauss also served as president of the Mormon History Association from 1997–1998.
Biography
Mauss was born on June 5, 1928, in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and grew up in California, graduating from Oakland High School
Oakland High School (California)
Oakland Senior High School is a public high school in California. Established in 1869, it is the oldest high school in Oakland, California and the sixth oldest high school in the state.-Background:...
in 1946. A life-long Mormon, he served a full-time, two-year mission as a youth for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England, and throughout his life in many other lay ecclesiastical roles. In 1949, he accompanied his family to Japan where his father was sent to preside over the work of the Church in east Asia. In 1954 Mauss graduated from Sophia University
Sophia University
There are several rankings below related to Sophia University.-General Rankings:The university was ranked 61st in 2010 in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai...
of Tokyo, a distinguished Jesuit institution, with a B.A. in History and Asian Studies. While in Japan, he was also inducted into the U.S. Air Force, serving four years in military intelligence. During that period he was married to Ruth E. Hathaway. They eventually became parents of six sons and two daughters. After returning to California, Mauss earned his M. A. degree in 1957 (history, with an emphasis on Asia) and in 1970 his Ph.D. in sociology, both at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Publications
Books- All Abraham’s Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage. Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois PressUniversity of Illinois PressThe University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
, 2003. ISBN 0252028031 - The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation. Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois PressUniversity of Illinois PressThe University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
, 1994. ISBN 0252020715 - Neither White nor Black: Mormon Scholars Encounter the Race Issue in a Universal Church. Salt Lake City, UT: Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1984. (Lester E. Bush Jr., and Mauss, authors and editors.) ISBN 0941214222 - This Land of Promises: The Rise and Fall of Social Problems in America. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1977. (Mauss and Julie C. Wolfe, eds.) ISBN 1397473710
- Social Problems as Social Movements. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1975. ISBN 0397473257
Representative articles since 2000
- "Can There be a 'Second Harvest'? : Controlling the Costs of Latter-day Saint Membership in Europe", International Journal of Mormon Studies Vol. 1 (2008), 1-59.
- "Mormons and Race", in Richard T. Schaefer, ed., Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing Co., Vol. 2 (2008).
- "From Near Nation to World Religion". In Cardell Jacobson, Tim Heaton, and John Hoffman, eds., Revisiting O’Dea’s The Mormons: Persistent Themes and Contemporary Perspectives. Salt Lake City: University of Utah PressUniversity of Utah PressThe University of Utah Press is the independent publishing branch of the University of Utah and is a division of the J. Willard Marriott Library. Founded in 1949 by A. Ray Olpin, it is also the oldest university press in Utah...
(2008). - "The Emergence of Mormon Studies in the Social Sciences", 121-150 in Anthony J. Blasi, ed., American Sociology of Religion: Histories. Leiden and Boston: Brill Academic Publishers (2007).
- "Flowers, Weeds, and Thistles: The State of Social Science Literature on the Mormons". 153-97 in Ronald W. WalkerRonald W. WalkerRonald Warren Walker is a historian of the Latter Day Saint movement who was formerly a professor at Brigham Young University and president of the Mormon History Association.-Biography:...
, David J. WhittakerDavid J. WhittakerDavid Jay Whittaker is a Mormon historian and bibliographer. He has authored or co-authored seven books and about fifty scholarly articles. He was the curator of Western and Mormon history manuscripts for the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library of the Harold B. Lee Library. He was also a...
, and James B. AllenJames B. Allen (historian)James Brown "Jim" Allen is an American historian of Mormonism and was an official Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972–1979.-Biography:...
, eds., Mormon History (bibliographic essays). Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois PressUniversity of Illinois PressThe University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
(2001). - "Attaining a 'Sophisticated Maturity': A Brief History of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion". Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionJournal for the Scientific Study of ReligionThe Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion is a peer-reviewed journal, published by Wiley-Blackwell in the United States of America under the auspices of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, dedicated to publishing scholarly articles in the social sciences, including psychology,...
39 (4): 449-73 (JSSR 50th anniversary issue). With Stacy A. Hammons (2000). - "Social Problems", 2759-2766 in E. F. Borgatta & R. J. V. Montgomery, eds. Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd edition). New York: Macmillan Co.Macmillan Publishers (United States)Macmillan Publishers USA, also known as Macmillan Publishing, is a privately held American publishing company owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than 30 others....
, 2000 (with Valerie Jenness).