Ecclesiastical History Society Winter Meeting 2024

‘A Marginal Society on the Margins of the British Empire: Latter-day Saints in Karachi, 1903–1915’

I will be presenting some of my research on Latter-day Saints and British India at the Winter Meeting of the Ecclesiastical History Society. It has a full programme with multiple parallel sessions to choose from throughout the day.

My paper is entitled: ‘A Marginal Society on the Margins of the British Empire: Latter-day Saints in Karachi, 1903–1915’. It charts the development of the Karachi branch from its organisation in 1903 by John H. Cooper up until its dissolution in 1915 amid World War 1. It is a great story involving Elder Cooper rescuing a man thrown overboard during a storm, an epic five-day journey across India, scorpions, and much more. The research is part of a book I am writing about Latter-day Saints and the British Raj starting with what I call “the event of 1857” and concluding with Indian independence in 1947. Believe it or not, but there were active believing Latter-day Saints in the British Raj for the entirety of its existence. My book project tells their story.

Craig Harline, professor of history at Brigham Young University, will be a keynote speaker at the event, which also might interest some people.

You can find the registration form for the conference here. To book your place for the conference, please email the completed EHS Winter Meeting 2024 booking form to Angela Platt by 5 January 2024 at ehsconferences@gmail.com. The event is online only and costs £10. More details can be found on the society’s website.