Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK OUPblog
Andreas J Önnerforsvisibility
…
description
6 pages
link
1 file
Very Short Introductions (http://global.oup.com/vsi/) (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday (https://blog.oup.com/category/subtopics/very-short-introductions-vsi/), subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via
Sign up for access to the world's latest research.
checkGet notified about relevant papers
checkSave papers to use in your research
checkJoin the discussion with peers
checkTrack your impact
Related papers
Róbert Péter, “General Introduction” & "Bibliography" in R. Péter (general editor), C. Révauger (volume editor), British Freemasonry, 1717-1813, 5 vols. (New York: Routledge, 2016), vol. 1., xi-lxix
Róbert Péter (general editor), Cécile Révauger (volume editor). Jan A. M. Snoek (volume editor), British Freemasonry, 1717-1813, 5 vols. (New York: Routledge, 2016), 2606 pages, 5967 editorial notes. volume 1: Institutions (C. Révauger) volume 2: Rituals I – English, Irish and Scottish Craft Rituals (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 3: Rituals II – Harodim Material and Higher Degrees (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 4: Debates (R. Péter) volume 5: Representations (R. Péter) More information about the edition is available at: https://www.routledge.com/British-Freemasonry-1717-1813/Peter- Revauger-Snoek/p/book/9781848933774 The attached copyright material was provided by the Routledge division of Taylor and Francis on 20 October, 2016. The purpose of this 5-volume edition is to collate diverse rare print and manuscript materials that provide a broad spectrum of insights into the history and culture of Freemasonry in the British Isles between 1717 and 1813. This collection is the result of extensive archival research and transcription and highlights the most significant themes associated with British and Irish Freemasonry during the period in question. The volumes draw on a wide range of documents, including an engraved list of lodges, rituals (some originally written in cipher), rules and regulations, by-laws, funeral services, lectures, charges, sermons, orations, certificates, theatrical prologues and epilogues, pamphlets, newspaper and magazine articles and letters. A special emphasis is placed on documents that enhance our present understanding of the role that British and Irish Freemasons played in the formation of eighteenth-century society and associational culture. Analysis of these documents will hopefully foster scholarly debate and offer new perspectives on wider historical, cultural, social and religious themes. Many of the texts included in these volumes remain very difficult to consult outside masonic archives. Such institutions store many rare eighteenth-century items, which are not recorded in the English Short Title Catalogue and are thus excluded from digital collections. For example, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London has not previously given permission to fully reproduce rituals of the so-called higher degrees. Hence, the rituals ncluded in this edition are published here for the first time in their entirety and with annotations. Furthermore, this edition reproduces texts that seem to have been knowingly overlooked by masonic historians in their publications.
“Our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Responding to the Lee Resolution, Congress appointed a "Committee of Five (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-history)" to draft a declaration of American independence. Written by Thomas Jefferson, lightly edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, and revised by the Congress, the delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776. Declaring independence was no small matter. By doing so and by signing the document, these men publicly stepped forward into the unknown. They risked all, including their lives, reputations, and fortunes.
[Blog post] Why we should all care about 'dying' musics
Oxford University Press academic blog, 2014
Blog post on the importance of keeping music cultures strong. Best viewed online via link below.
(89) The Freemasons' Magazine 1793–1798
Reflections on 300 Years of Freemasonry , 2017
When Freemasonry entered the world of early enlightenment sociability, it immediately spread as one of the most popular features, one might almost say the matrix of associational life across Europe and the world. With its entrance into the eighteenth century Freemasonry transformed from its mediaeval guild context – regulating trade and training, preserving and communicating professional secrets, enacting cultural and religious traditions of a craft – into an association that absorbed the philosophical currents of the time. The new leadership of the brotherhood, closely associated to the Newtonian scientific movement, opened up Masonic lodges to new strata of membership. This new openness and the association with cultural practices in the nascent Republic of Letters, linking European intellectuals together in networks and communicating the results of their research openly, caused Freemasonry to become an integrated part of media coverage.1 It was discussed and disputed in newspapers and journals and thus merged into the reading culture of coffee houses and private salons. From this general treatment in the eighteenth-century press there emerged at the end of the century the first Masonic periodicals aimed at a particular Masonic audience.
Freemasonry, Civil Society, and the Public Sphere in Central America (1865–1876)
Ritual, Secrecy, and Civil Society , 2017
Due to the specific characteristics of Latin American modernity, I argue in this article that it should be regarded more as a process of socio-historical construction than as an analytical category. This will allow us to gain an understanding of the particular guise that modernity took on in Latin America, and, therefore, of the ideological construction of a Central American Freemasonry instigated and led by Catholic priest Francisco Calvo. Accordingly, this paper addresses the nature of the relationships between modernity and the establishment and evolution of Freemasonry in Central America during the initial period of its active development (1865–1876). Why did Freemasonry emerge as a space of social interaction? What contextual factors influenced the development of Masonic activity? And what social functions did it serve in the expansion of civil society and the broadening of the public sphere?
"It's not a Collective; It's a Personal Experience that Happens to be Shared": How Philosophical Systems of Individualism are Sustained through Masonic Collaboration.
Dissertation available through ProQuest, Open-Access: This dissertation examines the experience of Freemasonry, as practiced in the United States, Colombia, and through Masonic literature, from an anthropological perspective. The Freemasons are a fraternal society with a global presence. In this work, the experience of Freemasonry, as both an individual/personal journey and a shared/collective activity is discussed. The work utilizes a number of methods and theoretical bases, including, but not limited to, a reliance on both primary and secondary textual sources which enhance both an understanding of Freemasonry from Masonic perspectives as well as presents anthropological and interdisciplinary context and analyses. Theoretical discussions include, but are not limited to, a reconsideration of what constitutes a field site, how scholarship on secrecy can enhance the study of a society which generally does not consider itself a true secret society, and how texts can act both as reference and as a set of participants. The core inquiries of this project discuss how philosophical systems of individualism can be sustained through specific forms of collaboration, and how the simultaneity of the shared and the individual experience of Masonry constitutes a culture in its own right. Contributing to work done within the anthropology of Freemasonry, along with a range and combination of disciplinary and interdisciplinary orientations, such as an “activity-based approach”, and including elements of variation and consensus, this project provides a dialogue on themes of belonging, individualism, knowledge production, access, “activity”, and experience.
Róbert Péter, "Introduction" & "Bibliography" in vol 4 (Debates) of British Freemasonry 1717-1813 (New York_Routledge_2016)
Róbert Péter (ed), British Freemasonry, 1717-1813. Vol. 4. Debates (New York: Routledge, 2016) volume 1: Institutions (C. Révauger) volume 2: Rituals I – English, Irish and Scottish Craft Rituals (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 3: Rituals II – Harodim Material and Higher Degrees (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 4: Debates (R. Péter) volume 5: Representations (R. Péter) For a limited access to vol. 4 see https://books.google.hu/books?id=xLdCDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT84&dq=British+Freemasonry,+1717-1813+Debates+Church&hl=hu&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjY9Ye8moDQAhVJORoKHT0FCfoQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepage&q=British%20Freemasonry%2C%201717-1813%20Debates%20Church&f=false More information about the edition is available at: https://www.routledge.com/British-Freemasonry-1717-1813/Peter- Revauger-Snoek/p/book/9781848933774 The attached copyright material was provided by the Routledge division of Taylor and Francis on 20 October, 2016.
Róbert Péter, "Introduction" & "Bibliography" in vol 5 (Representations) of British Freemasonry 1717-1813 (New York_Routledge_2016)
Róbert Péter (ed.), British Freemasonry, 1717-1813, 5. vol. Representations (New York: Routledge, 2016). volume 1: Institutions (C. Révauger) volume 2: Rituals I – English, Irish and Scottish Craft Rituals (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 3: Rituals II – Harodim Material and Higher Degrees (J. A. M. Snoek) volume 4: Debates (R. Péter) volume 5: Representations (R. Péter) For a limited access to volume 5 see https://books.google.hu/books?id=n7dCDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT2&dq=British+Freemasonry,+1717-1813+Representations&hl=hu&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE-ejJmYDQAhXM6xoKHTiQDNYQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=British%20Freemasonry%2C%201717-1813%20Representations&f=false More information about the edition is available at: https://www.routledge.com/British-Freemasonry-1717-1813/Peter- Revauger-Snoek/p/book/9781848933774 The attached copyright material was provided by the Routledge division of Taylor and Francis on 20 October, 2016.
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
(https://blog.oup.com/)
Search
Sea
Menu
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK
Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Introductions (http://global.oup.com/vsi/) (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for
hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are
the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday
(https://blog.oup.com/category/subtopics/very-short-introductions-vsi/), subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 1 av 6
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
email (https://blog.oup.com/subscribe-oupblog-via-email/) or RSS (https://blog.oup.com/category/series-columns/very-short-introductionsvsi/feed), and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VeryShortIntroductions). This series is also available
online (http://www.veryshortintroductions.com/), and you can recommend it to your local librarian (http://global.oup.com/library-recommend/?).
BUY NOW
BY ANDREAS ÖNNERFORS (HTTPS://BLOG.OUP.COM/AUTHORS/ANDREAS-ONNERFORS/)
F
(HTTPS:
AVERYSHORT
INTRODUCT
9780198796
FEBRUARY 16TH 2018
reemasonry once again hit the headlines of UK media (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/31/freemasons-blocking-reformpolice-federation-leader) on New Year’s Eve 2017, revealing the contentious nature of the place of secrecy in public life. Just having
concluded the celebration of its tercentenary anniversary year, the United Grand Lodge of England found itself at the center of a new (and
simultaneously very old) controversy (in fact dating back to 1799). How far can membership in a masonic lodge be regarded as incompatible with the
exercise of a public office? Is there any place for a secretive organization in a society demanding transparency? Or are the perceptions of
incompatibility rather a sign of broken societal and mutual trust in times of political crisis?
The outgoing president of the Police Federation, Steve White, on 31 December 2017 made claims in the UK media that freemasons were blocking
reform in the police force, particularly when it comes to a better integration of women, black, Asian, and ethnic minorities (BAME). Membership of
predominantly white and male police officers in masonic lodges was to be regarded as an old boys’ network for self-promotion, posing an obstacle for
reform. It should be noted that BAME-people are not excluded from membership in contemporary English freemasonry and that even women have
their own masonic orders in England, which a recent BBC-documentary screened in November 2017 revealed to the general UK public.
What followed upon White’s sweeping claims was a string of reactions in the form of further articles, opinion pieces, and official statements
culminating in early February 2018 (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/freemasons). This is not the place to counter White’s and other opinions
(and circumstantial evidence) on the matter, but rather to look back at the UK-specific context that charge them with meaning and a long history of
ideas dating back to the decade immediately after the French revolution.
In a nervous attempt to identify scapegoats who could be blamed for the outbreak and violent development of the French revolution between 17891793, the spotlight was almost immediately directed towards groups in society that appeared to have undermined the ‘old regime’ of Crown and
Church, or even worse: to plot against human society as a whole. For a host of post-revolutionary writers, it was important to explain how reason and
rationality of the enlightenment in a (weird) combination with heated esotericism had created an atmosphere preparing for the ultimate collapse of
conventional social, cultural, religious, and political order.
Whereas freemasonry previously had been attacked by both Catholic and Protestant authorities and in some European states had been subject to
governmental regulation, masonic lodges were now amalgamated with the first and powerful political conspiracy theory in modern history. Together
with the infamous Bavarian Illuminati, freemasons were accused of pulling the wires behind a profound and game-changing political event with
repercussions for political order across Europe. These ideas were popularized and disseminated during the 1790s and reached the UK through the
writings of a French exiled Jesuit, Abbé Barruel and his friend, the Scottish professor John Robison, and his influential book with the self-explaining
title Proofs of a Conspiracy (1797). Under the impression of imminent French invasion (one of the master narratives in British political mythology), in
connection with the Irish Rebellion and the revelation of revolutionary groups in Britain, such as the societies of United
Irishmen/Englishmen/Scotsmen, the public opinion turned against the existence of secret societies in general and against freemasonry.
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 2 av 6
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
Freemasons Hall 2 by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK. CC-BY2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Freemasons_Hall_2_(6481337119).jpg).
It appears as if Prussian legislation against secret societies from 1798 prompted the British parliament in 1799 to adopt the ‘Unlawful Societies Act’.
The Unlawful Societies Act outlawed any societies with secret forms of organization that required their members to take an oath of fidelity, or to
pledge allegiance to unknown superiors. In both regulations however, freemasonry was exempted but placed under governmental scrutiny. But more
importantly the Unlawful Societies Act (in place until 1967) made it mandatory for masonic lodges to report their membership to the Clerk of the
Peace in different counties.
This could all have been history if not two books appearing during the 1980s and 1990s, The Brotherhood and Inside the Brotherhood which made
serious allegations against the British police force and its alleged collusion with freemasonry, a motif percolating down to popular culture. Prompted
by perceived miscarriages of justice, the Home Affairs Committee at the end of the 1990s issued two reports together with a recommendation of
disclosure of masonic membership for offices in the judiciary. These rules were later to be found conflicting with European Human Rights Standards
and withdrawn in 2007. Only ten years later, the debate has obviously retrograded to the status just before the new millennium.
The question remains why membership in freemasonry still is imagined to be incompatible with holding a public office in the UK? What creates the
persistent uneasiness in the public perception of freemasonry today and what might it tell us about contemporary political culture? To this there are a
number of possible explanations: First of all, we must understand the imagined incompatibility in its UK-specific historical context that had a
legislation of disclosure in place between 1799-1967. Secondly, it appears as if the Home Affairs Committee reports around 2000 and the European
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 3 av 6
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
Human Rights jurisdiction from 2007, together with a greater transparency from the side of masonic organizations as well as the increased availability
of sound research into freemasonry has not removed deeper societal fears among the general UK public. Without taking the issue too far, it is
furthermore possible to identify persistent fears towards secretive forms of association as a token of broken mutual and societal trust. In the
contemporary and confusing times of post-Brexit and fake-news, the suggestibility exercised by conspiracy beliefs remains high and is a gauge of the
prevalent level of ‘paranoid styles of politics.’
Featured image credit: Praha Nekazanka Freemason Symbolism by Txllxt TxllxT. CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_Nekazanka_Freemason_Symbolism_-_Jugendstil_II.jpg).
Andreas Önnerfors is Associate Professor of the History of Sciences and Ideas at the University of Gothenburg. Prior to that he was
Director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism at The University of Sheffield from 2007-2010. There, he
published three academic volumes and launched the first academic journal in the area, the Journal for Research into Freemasonry and
Fraternalism. He is a leading expert in freemasonry and has played a key part in the development of the research area during the last
fifteen years. He has written several articles in peer reviewed journals and a chapters in edited books including a chapter on Illuminism
in The Occult World (by Christopher Partridge ed, Routledge, 2015). He is the author of Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction
(https://global.oup.com/academic/product/freemasonry-a-very-short-introduction-9780198796275).
POSTED IN: ARTS & HUMANITIES (HTTPS://BLOG.OUP.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS_AND_HUMANITIES/) / SOCIOLOGY (HTTPS://BLOG.OUP.COM/CATEGORY/SOCIAL_SCIENCES/SOCIOLOGY/) /
VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS (HTTPS://BLOG.OUP.COM/CATEGORY/SERIES-COLUMNS/VERY-SHORT-INTRODUCTIONS-VSI/)
Subscribe to the OUPblog via email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
Or subscribe to articles in the subject area by email (http://blog.oup.com/subscribe-oupblog-via-email/) or RSS
(http://blog.oup.com/follow/)
Recent Comments
There are currently no comments.
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
COMMENT
NAME *
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 4 av 6
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
EMAIL *
WEBSITE
POST COMMENT
About Us (https://blog.oup.com/about/)
Follow Us (https://blog.oup.com/follow/)
Contact Us (https://blog.oup.com/contact/)
Terms and Conditions of Use (https://blog.oup.com/terms_and_condi/)
Reuse of Blog Content (https://blog.oup.com/reuse-of-oupblog-content/)
Cookie Policy (http://global.oup.com/cookiepolicy/)
Privacy Policy (https://blog.oup.com/privacy_policy/)
Categories
Arts & Humanities (https://blog.oup.com/category/arts_and_humanities/)
History (https://blog.oup.com/category/history/)
Language (https://blog.oup.com/category/language-words/)
Law (https://blog.oup.com/category/law-legal/)
Science & Medicine (https://blog.oup.com/category/science_medicine/)
Social Sciences (https://blog.oup.com/category/social_sciences/)
Multimedia (https://blog.oup.com/category/multimedia/)
Series & Columns (https://blog.oup.com/category/series-columns/)
Social Media
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OUPAcademic)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/OUPAcademic)
Google Plus (https://plus.google.com/+OUPAcademic/)
Tumblr (http://oupacademic.tumblr.com/)
Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/oupacademic/)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/OUPAcademic)
Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/oupacademic)
Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/oupacademic)
Sina Weibo (http://weibo.com/oupacademic)
OxfordWords blog (http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/)
Gateways
Oxford Academic (http://global.oup.com/academic/)
Oxford Journals (http://www.oxfordjournals.org/)
Oxford Online (http://global.oup.com/online/)
Higher Education (http://global.oup.com/ushe/)
Oxford Index (http://oxfordindex.oup.com/)
Oxford Dictionaries (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/)
OUP Worldwide (http://global.oup.com/)
University of Oxford (http://www.ox.ac.uk/)
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing
worldwide.
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 5 av 6
Freemasonry and the public sphere in the UK | OUPblog
2018-02-16 20(18
Copyright © Oxford University Press 2018
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/freemasonry-history-uk-politics/
Sida 6 av 6
Related papers
Addiction and Social Media Diet
NEW HORIZONS IN COMMUNICATION AGE, 2019
Rethinking Time and Cosmos in Central Mexico: New Insights
Pre-Columbian Society of New York, 2022
Desvendando a responsabilidade civil sob a ótica da LGPD (Atena Editora)
Desvendando a responsabilidade civil sob a ótica da LGPD (Atena Editora), 2023
Dendritic cells: Immunological sentinels with a central role in health and disease
Immunology and Cell Biology, 2000
Istituire il molteplice fare il comune
http://www.euronomade.info/?p=14966, 2022
Late Weichselian–Holocene valley development of the Elbe valley near Dresden – linking sedimentation, soil formation and archaeology
E&G Quaternary Science Journal
LOS CAMBIOS DEMOGRÁFICOS Y LA MIGRACIÓN
Conferencia CLACSO MEXICO, 2022
Budidaya Maggot: Solusi Efektif Dalam Pemanfaatan Sampah DI Desa Panti
INTEGRITAS : Jurnal Pengabdian
Mirror Neuron dalam Proses Empati Manusia kerusakan / Disfungsi yang Terjadi pada Mirror Neuron
Psyche 165 journal, 2023
The delivery and challenges of Pediatric Anesthesia within the humanitarian sector: Médecins Sans Frontières and Mercy Ships
Paediatric anaesthesia, 2024
Evidence for Membrane Thinning Effect as the Mechanism for Peptide-Induced Pore Formation
Biophysical Journal, 2003
PROJEÇÕES MAPEADAS COMO FORMA DE APROPRIAÇÃO SIMBÓLICA DO ESPAÇO PÚBLICO-PRIVADO E DIREITO À CIDADE: EXPRESSÕES POLÍTICO-ARTÍSTICAS DO COLETIVO BRASILEIRO "PROJETEMOS", EM TEMPOS DE PANDEMIA
44º Encontro Anual da ANPOCS, 2020
El sistema político como dispositivo de poder en un conflicto medio ambiental en Argentina
El sistema político como dispositivo de poder en un conflicto medio ambiental en Argentina, 2019
Endovascular treatment for anterior inferior cerebellar artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA-PICA) common trunk variant aneurysms: Technical note and literature review
Journal of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
Kosher in the Greek: The giraffe and the snake-fighter?
Zeitschrift fur altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte, 2013
Sorption of basic dyes from aqueous solution by activated sludge
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2004
Exportación de azúcar palmero a Europa durante la primera mitad del siglo XVII
Iii Coloquio De Historia Canario Americana Viii Congreso Internacional De Historia De America 2000 Isbn 84 8103 242 5 Pags 1902 1911, 2000
Crítica engeliana sobre a ciência natural: notas sobre a “Introdução” de Dialética da Natureza ou resenha
Germinal: marxismo e educação em debate, 2024
Association between human herpesviruses and multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Microbial Pathogenesis, 2023
Continuity and Bargmann mapping properties of quasi-Banach Orlicz modulation spaces
arXiv (Cornell University), 2019