We are pleased to announce the formation of the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Mormon Studies, a group of scholars/publishers/consumers with an interest in Spanish and Portuguese Mormon Studies. By this we mean studies about Mormonism among Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries and individuals (including in the U.S.). This also includes, more generally, Mormon studies written in Spanish and Portuguese.

The association's objectives are to:
* Increase the level of contributions by Spanish and Portuguese speakers to Mormon Studies--in part by providing forums where such works can be easily reviewed, published, or distributed.
* Encourage traditional Mormon Studies publishers and scholars to examine Mormonism among Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries and individuals.
* Encourage translations into Spanish and Portuguese of
significant Mormon Studies content that is currently available only in English.
* Create a sense of community among Span./Port. speaking Mormons that transcends geography (where an Argentine has a place to learn from his Mexican sisters and both of them can share their experience with someone in the U.S.).
* Identify existing Spanish/Portuguese Mormon studies (history, sociology/anthropology, theology, etc.), and improve the ability to share these with Spanish & Portuguese speakers.

The association expects to achieve these objectives through an annual conference and through fostering communication among its members and others interested in Spanish and Portuguese Mormon Studies. The association will also offer cash awards for works written in Spanish or Portuguese, or works in Spanish and Portuguese Mormon Studies.

We invite those interested in understanding more about the association to visit our website at http://aspms.org/aspms/ and to join the association on that page.