A Radical Convergence
Latter-day Saints and Their Utopian Socialist Origins
The early Church as a haven for, and instrument of, radical social movements
Cloth – $110
978-0-252-04985-9
Paper – $30
978-0-252-08951-0
eBook – $19.95
978-0-252-04902-6
Publication Date
Paperback: 12/01/2026
About the Book
During the nineteenth century, socialists and workers from outside the United States converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and flocked to Mormon communities to build a social utopia. By 1890, working-class immigrants or their children comprised two-thirds of the LDS population in Utah.Erik J. Freeman uses the lives of radical converts to explore the international socialist politics that permeated the early Church. These energetic newcomers fueled LDS expansion even as they laid the foundation for a global religion. At the same time, utopian socialists within the Church helped lay the groundwork for later political and social movements and progressive ideas. The Church in the United States pivoted toward capitalism after the turn of the century, but socialist thought remained—and remain—an important thread throughout LDS communities around the world.
Provocative and sweeping, A Radical Convergence tells the surprising story of utopian socialism's place in Church history.
About the Author
Erik J. Freeman is an assistant professor of history at Idaho State University.Related Titles
