Dissent in Zion: Outsider Practices in Utah

Authors

  • Ezra Anton Greene University of British Columbia

Keywords:

Utah, Mormons and Non-Mormons, practice theory, autoethnography

Abstract

Most communities in Utah are predominately Mormon, and Mormon practices and beliefs strongly influence practices in everyday society and culture. Yet, there also many non-Mormons who live in Utah. Through analyzing the independent documentary film The Beaver Kid and autoethnography of the author’s own experience growing up in Utah as a non-Mormon, this essay explores the influence that Mormon practices and beliefs have on “outsiders” in the communities. Concepts from practice theory such as doxa, orthodoxy, heterodoxy, and communities of practice are used to understand how outsiders resist the dominant social norms, while also being influenced to abide by them.

Author Biography

Ezra Anton Greene, University of British Columbia

PhD Candidate, Liu Scholar Department of Anthropology University of British Columbia

Downloads

Published

2018-06-17

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2018): Autoethnography – Integrating the Anthropologist

Section

Student Showcase

License

Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.