Railroading Religion

David Walker is assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

For more information about David Walker, visit the Author Page.

"Embracing the material turn in religious studies, Walker writes about tourist sites, trains, and beaches, among other things, as major parts of nineteenth-century religion that illustrate the complexity of the boundaries of religion as a category. Importantly, the book contributes to an understudied period of Mormonism's American history (1860s-1890s) and brings an exciting analysis to its subject matter."—Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"Walker tells the story of Mormonism's evolution during the Utah period in a new way. His approach asks scholars to reconsider long-held beliefs and theories about religion. Through compelling arguments, historical insight, and innovative storytelling, Railroading Religion is valuable for anyone interested in the history of the American West and nineteenth-century secularism."—Nova Religio

"Historically rich and theoretically provocative, David Walker's Railroading Religion: Mormons, Tourists, and the Corporate Spirit of the West is a welcome addition to the historiography of Mormonism and will be read with interest by scholars of new religious movements and American religion in general, as well as historians of the American West and historians of American business."—Religion

"Railroading Religion is one of the most theoretically rich and provocatively argued books written on Mormon studies in quite some time. While the benefits for those who work on Mormonism are clear, scholars of religion will also be forced to consider dominant ideas concerning secularism and religion, not to mention modernity."—Church History and Religious Culture

"Walker's book provides a shining example of how to practice a historiography of religions that incorporates, and builds upon, secularity theory's best insights."—Mormon Studies Review

"This insightful book will be useful to those interested in railroads and the development of the West as well as those interested in Mormonism."—Choice