On June 27, 1844, the prophet Joseph Smith Jr. was killed at Carthage, Illinois, setting in motion a succession crisis that fragmented his young denomination into several competing factions. Many studies have considered the aftermath of Smith’s death. However, the members and leaders of the church were already separated by many divisive factors. These factors deserve exploration as we consider how church members decided which leader to follow, and how their faith was expressed theologically and in practice.

Also, Nauvoo was the seat of two prophets Joseph. Joseph Smith Jr. made Nauvoo his capital. His son, Joseph Smith III, on his return from his April 6, 1860 ordination at Amboy, Illinois, also made Nauvoo his capital. Comparative studies—theologically and demographically—of the city as the seat of prophets in two different eras might discover some interesting insights.

The program committee invites proposals for papers, panels, and whole sessions exploring divisions already present in the church prior to the martyrdom on topics such as: ethnic, socio-economic, British immigrants vs. Yankee, seekers and old guard vs. newer converts, Eastern US seaboard members vs. rural members, the material culture of various groups, the geography of the church (where were all the branches located and what was the membership population in places outside the Nauvoo area?), Nauvoo as headquarters of the original church as well as the first headquarters of Community of Christ, and community dynamics outside the church membership. The committee would like to gather every facet of history: institutional, social, economic, theological, women’s perspectives, minority perspectives, center vs. periphery, the international church, and more.

Please send your brief proposal, with a 1-page vita, to jwha2011@hotmail.com. The proposal deadline is February 28, 2011.