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Mormon Scholars in the Humanities (MSH) invites proposals for its 2020 annual conference. The conference topic this year is\u00a0<\/span>Aesthetics<\/em>, and papers or panels organized around the theme are encouraged. The deadline for submitting a proposal abstract is this Friday, November 1.<\/span><\/p>\n The culture that surrounds the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had mixed feelings about the body and the senses. While the \u201cnatural man\u201d is an enemy to God, the spirit and the body are man\u2019s soul. And while both scriptures may mean \u201cmen\u201d as all human beings, there might be even more ambivalence about women\u2019s bodies. While historically Mormon teachings have indicated that a body is necessary for both aesthetic experience and the achievement of the highest realms of exaltation, how do we grapple with the span of time between receiving a perfected body and \u201cthe flesh\u201d that we contend with now? Furthermore, the arts of all varieties have long been embraced and promoted by Church leaders, including President Spencer W. Kimball in \u201cThe Gospel Vision of the Arts.\u201d We wish to explore how Church doctrine and culture can affect artistic production, style, and consumption. This conference encourages participants to explore \u201caesthetics\u201d in the widest sense of the term.<\/p>\n Potential topics include:<\/em><\/p>\n As always, we also invite high-quality paper proposals on other topics, including those that reflect one\u2019s current professional research interests or pedagogy in the humanities. Interested scholars (affiliated or independent) and graduate students are invited to submit 250\u2013350 word abstracts for papers, as well as proposals for organized panels. Abstracts\u00a0and proposals are due Friday, November 1, 2019, using the portal link below. Acceptance notices will be sent out by Friday, December 6.\u00a0 All presenters are required to register for the conference but are not required to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Graduate students wishing to be considered for a Graduate Student Travel Grant can indicate that when making their submission. Information about the registration fee and available accommodation will be posted soon at mormonscholars.net.<\/span><\/p>\n\n