Acoustic Guitar Construction

Can a guitar without a glued-on back be strung up to pitch safely? All else equal - just no back.

No way -- no how, it will fold up on itself.

Put another way - if the body is supported by a mold, and the top clamped along its perimeter - would that maintain the integrity under string pressure?

Don't know -- but I would not do it. The back unifies the structure -- does much more than just maintain the shape of the rim edge.