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Full-Text Articles in Mormon Studies
Postcolonialism And The Missionary Experience In The Book Of Mormon, Diana Witt
Postcolonialism And The Missionary Experience In The Book Of Mormon, Diana Witt
James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)
In their irreverent 2011 musical, The Book of Mormon, writer-composers Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Robert Lopez satirize the work of Mormon missionaries. This paper analyzes the musical's book and lyrics, its cultural context and reception, and postcolonial scholarship. The paper argues that while The Book of Mormon operates as a postcolonialist text by critiquing cultural hegemony, it also reinforces stereotypes and practices present in colonization like othering and cultural colonialism.