Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Religion, MA

Program

School of Arts and Humanities

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Matthew Bowman

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Kevin Wolfe

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Emily McLean

Keywords

Conservation, Ecology, Land Ethics, Mormonism, Ritualization, Uta

Subject Categories

Religion

Abstract

This study explores the intersection of religion, land use, and political resistance in Latter-day Saint culture, arguing that Mormon land ethics are shaped by a ritualized process I term the “Cycle of Chosenness.” Through historical and ethnographic analysis, I trace how collective memory of the pioneer era informs symbolic labor that reaffirms Mormon exceptionalism. Three case studies illustrate the cycle in action: Brigham Young’s integration of labor and theology, Walter Cottam’s unsuccessful push for ecological restoration, and the Sagebrush Rebellion’s successful reframing of anti-federal activism as sacred labor. I show how the Sagebrush Rebellion marked a turning point by legitimizing individualized pathways to sacred time, no longer dependent on Church-mediated ritual. This decentralization allowed figures such as the Bundy family to enact Mormon chosenness through modern standoffs over grazing rights, using pioneer-inflected narratives to sanctify their resistance. By analyzing these episodes, I demonstrate that Mormon land ethics are neither static nor purely doctrinal; they are living, contested performances that adapt to political realities while preserving the theological imperative to build Zion in the here and now.

ISBN

9798293800353

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