Glass Box Podcast

Who even is Lavina Fielding Anderson?! In this classic deep dive we examine the life of Lavina Fielding Anderson and her contributions to the Mormon academic field. Her story serves as a case study of how far individuals can pressure the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the inside before the institution’s immune system responds. She’s a powerhouse of a scholar, a pioneer in feminist Mormon studies, and an advocate for those who’ve survived ecclesiastical abuse. The Mormon Alliance was the organization Lavina formed with Janice Allred to collect and publish survivor’s stories and advocate on their behalf. Both suffered gruelling and abusive disciplinary processes for their advocacy attempting to reform Mormon practices and policies. History repeats itself and the timeline of Protect LDS Children and Sam Young was telegraphed by the experiences of Anderson, Allred, and the Mormon Alliance. We finish the episode with a review of Erin Brockovich and a happy environmental news item from Liverpool.