This episode features the story of Rosa, a woman from Nicaragua. Having been raised without positive male influences, Rosa has looked to church teachings to form her ideal masculinity based on the Proclamation to the World. MA student Amy Elkins discusses with Amanda Tew, a temporary resident of Niagara, how global LDS women often approach the Proclamation differently to American women. Rather than viewing the principles outlined as restrictive for women, Rosa demonstrates how it can be used to encourage men to live up to their responsibilities.

This episode features an interview with Nick, a Mexican American member of the church. Unable to fully claim either a Mexican or American identity, Nick describes living on the borderlands between LDS and mainstream culture, his “Mexican-ness” and “American-ness,” and his mother’s LDS heritage and his father’s Catholic heritage. PhD student Brandon Wilson and PhD candidate Stephanie Griswold discuss Nick’s story and the reality of living in isolation within one’s own community.

In this episode, MA student Emily McClean and Dr. Julie K. Allen examine an interview with “Freya", a Swedish student at BYU Provo. Having grown up as part of a religious minority, Freya finds moving to a high-density Mormon community instructive and liberating. Her experiences reveal how Mormon identity is inextricably linked to nationality, while Mormon cultural “norms” are relative to location.

This episode focuses on Shiralee’s story, an LDS woman of multiple ethnic heritages. Not claiming any single cultural identity, and having lived in many locations, Shiralee has adopted a fundamental identity based on “gospel culture”. Yet as she has moved to different states and countries, she has been surprised at the variations of attitudes and opinions between members. PhD student Stephen Cameron and Dr Matthew Bowman discuss Shiralee’s story, exploring the inevitable disparities between members as the church continues to globalize.

In this episode, PhD candidate Lori Denning and Dr. Stacilee Ford, professor of history and gender at Hong Kong University, discuss the complexity of LDS identity in southeastern Asia. Their discussion is based on “Claire’s” story, a woman from Malaysia with a multi-faith background. Through her church service and studying at BYU-Hawaii, Claire connects her church membership with unexpected opportunities to gain an education, valuable employment, and develop skills. This episode explores how Asian converts navigate the impact of religion on family dynamics and their social status.  

In this episode, Claremont Graduate University student, Natalie Nelson and Dr. Caroline Kline discuss Kaya’s story, a young adult from a Zulu tribe. Although raised in the church, Kaya only heard of the black Priesthood-Temple ban during an institute class. Despite the shock, Kaya decided to not leave the church, but research the history independently. Nelson and Kline discuss Kaya’s extraordinary ability to navigate difficult history as well as cultural clashes between the church and her tribal traditions, including the practice of lobola.   

In this episode, PhD students Joseph DuWors and Vinna Chowriamah discuss the impact of colonialism and racism on church members in Mauritius. Reviewing an interview with “Jacques,” a Mauritian of European descent, they explore how race and “otherness” can effect church experience. Vinna, also a Mauritian, explains how, despite the multi-ethnic composition of church units in Mauritius, racism is often hidden from plain sight.

This episode features the experiences and perspectives of Ruth, a Zimbabwean convert who is studying at BYU-Idaho. Comparing her expectations of living in an LDS community and the reality, Ruth believes American members do not yet fully understand or embrace the dynamics and implications of a global church. Claremont PhD student and Rexburg resident Elizabeth Mawlam discusses Ruth’s story with BYU-Idaho professor of history, Andrea Radke-Moss. Together they explore how international students are slowly changing one of the most densely LDS communities.

Welcome to season 2! We have switched podcast platforms, so please resubscribe wherever you get your podcasts in order to access season 2. RSS feed is https://www.globallatterday.org/feed.xml 

Like the first season, the podcast will share the stories and voices of Latter-day Saints from around the world as they discuss their hopes and fears, their sorrows and joys, and the way their faith informs their daily lives. Again, we’ll be joined by scholars and other community members who offer insight and explore questions that arise along the way.

This season, however, is different from the first because this seasons’ episodes are hosted by graduate students from Claremont Graduate University. These students each researched, wrote, and edited an episode, which means that every episode has a different flavor, focus, and energy. I think the stories they highlight—most of which were contributed to CGU’s oral history collections—are fascinating, as are the insightful conversations the hosts have with scholars as they together unpack the themes that arose in each of the interviews. I hope you’ll join us for this second season. Subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.