| This thesis addresses the shortfall in Mormon historiography of non-American
perspectives and identity. British Mormonism has typically been used to support an American Mormon historical agenda, often a teleological narrative that emphasizes periods of high convert growth. Consequently, the subjective experience of British members on a localized level has barely been examined. British Mormonism of the early twentieth century has been overlooked primarily because, as a period of low baptism rates, it has been seen as irrelevant to a wider Mormon historical agenda. This thesis argues that this period can be utilized as a lens through which to see how Mormonism in Britain developed relative to the experiences and perspectives of its British members. In the early twentieth century, several factors contributed to the evolution of a British Mormon identity, such as the end of the Mormon emigration program, a redefinition of non-American Mormon communities, involvement of Britons in Church local leadership, and a reconfiguration of British Mormon behavior. Exacerbated by the turbulence of the First World War, British Mormons were demarcating what it meant to be Mormon in their own space and time. |