Welcome, Patrick Mason!

I am happy to introduce Patrick Mason as our next guest blogger. Patrick just finished his PhD in History at Notre Dame and will be working here this year as a program coordinator in Peace Studies (while he gathers himself for another assault on the tenure-track market). Patrick’s dissertation deals with violence against religious outsiders in the post-bellum South, including a section on–who?–Mormons! He has recently been writing and teaching on images of Jesus in the broader American culture. Patrick has done a lot to help form a lively mini-culture of Mormon thought here at Notre Dame, teaching provocative Institute classes and staying up for late-night discussions on how Mormons should feel about, say, the latest political development. The creative titles of his scholarly writing (like, “Mobbed Martyrs or Lustful Louts?”) are a trace of the humanity he brings to it. Patrick is married to Melissa DeLeon. We’re looking forward to hearing from you, Patrick!