Baker, an associate professor of communications, had seen much attention paid in the media to Mormons, particularly with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign, the rise of Glenn Beck as a popular talk-show host and various Mormons in reality shows and televised competitions. In addition, PBS, in 2007, broadcast a documentary called “The Mormons,” and Baker said it just seemed like this was a bit of a “Mormon moment,” as a journalist at the Boston Globe called it.
“It was time for scholars that are looking at this from a scholarly perspective to have a forum to get together and discuss their work and interest,” Baker said.
