In recent years, volunteering and voluntary organizations have come to play an increasingly important role in British society. But this recognition has come at the cost of losing sight of the distinctive characteristics of voluntary action and its claims to independence of thought and action. Drawing on 45 years' experience of working in and researching the sector, Colin Rochester shows how conventional wisdom about how voluntary action is understood and undertaken ignores a variety of important activities which have contributed so much to our quality of life and living conditions. He revisits the history of voluntary action; identifies the forces that have created modern misunderstandings and misrepresentations; explores the role of voluntary action and the forms it takes; and argues that the reality of voluntary activity is very different from the picture painted by contemporary researchers and practitioners. In a final chapter Rochester spells out the implications of his vision for research and practice.

This book provides historical sketches of the most significant national and international learned societies and academies located outside the United States. Complementing Joseph Kiger's Research Institutions and Learned Societies, which covers the United States, this volume includes profiles, arranged alphabetically, on some 100 organizations located in fifty-three countries.

Each profile provides comprehensive, uniform, up-to-date information, including founding, history, purpose, activities, governance, current operations, and location of offices and archives, on the subject society. Entries conclude with sources of additional information. Appendices include chronologies, genealogies, and topical listings. The work includes a full index.

This hardbound edition of Yarker's classic opus is not merely another facsimile edition. It has been completely reformatted, yet retains a look and feel that is comparable to the original 1909 edition, right down to the blue cloth binding and gold stamped spine. From Alchemy to Zoroaster, and everything in between, The Arcane Schools continues to be one of the most comprehensive and authoritative works concerning the history and migration of the Western Mystery Tradition. Students of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Theosophy will find this to be an indispensable addition to their collection.

The YMCA and the YWCA have been an integral part of America's urban landscape since their emergence almost 150 years ago. Yet the significant influence these organizations had on American society has been largely overlooked. Men and Women Adrift explores the role of the YMCA and YWCA in shaping the identities of America's urban population.

Examining the urban experiences of the single young men and women who came to the cities in search of employment and personal freedom, these essays trace the role of the YMCA and the YWCA in urban America from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The contributors detail the YMCA's early competition with churches and other urban institutions, the associations' unique architectural style, their services for members of the working class, African Americans, and immigrants, and their role in defining gender and sexual identities.

The volume includes contributions by Michelle Busby, Jessica Elfenbein, Sarah Heath, Adrienne Lash Jones, Paula Lupkin, Raymond A. Mohl, Elizabeth Norris, Cliff Putney, Nancy Robertson, Thomas Winter, and John D. Wrathall.

Triad Press is proud to offer this hardcover cloth-bound edition of Brother of the Third Degree as part of our "Classics of the Western Mystery Tradition" series. Originally published in 1894, this volume continues to inspire seekers on the initiatic path as well as those who are fascinated with the Western Mysteries. While this volume contains a fictionalized account of initiation, those with eyes to see and ears to hear will recognize that a wealth of hermetic and esoteric principles are revealed within its prose.

This book looks at masculinity and markets in the urban South. In ""Brothers of a Vow"", Ami Pflugrad-Jackisch examines secret fraternal organizations in Antebellum Virginia to offer fresh insight into masculinity and the redefinition of social and political roles of white men in the South. Young Virginians who came of age during the antebellum era lived through a time of tremendous economic, cultural, and political upheaval. In a state increasingly pulled between the demands of the growing market and the long-established tradition of unfree labor, Pflugrad-Jackisch argues that groups like the Freemasons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Sons of Temperance promoted market-oriented values and created bonds among white men that softened class distinctions. At the same time, these groups sought to stabilize social hierarchies that subordinated blacks and women. Pflugrad-Jackisch examines all aspects of the secret orders - from their bylaws and proceedings to their material culture, to their participation in a wide array of festivals, parades, and civic celebrations. Regarding gender, she shows how fraternal orders helped reinforce an alternative definition of southern white manhood that emphasized self-discipline, moral character, temperance, and success at work. These groups ultimately established a civic brotherhood among white men that marginalized the role of women in the public sphere and bolstered the respectability of white men regardless of class status. ""Brothers of a Vow"" is a nuanced look at how dominant groups craft collective identities, and it adds to our understanding of citizenship and political culture during a period of rapid change.

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs are increasingly seen as a threat to communities around the world. They are a visible threat as a recognizable symbol of deviance and violence. This book uses gang and organized crime theory to explain the groups and looks at policing and political responses to the clubs' activities.