Based upon a series of detailed case studies of associations such as early synagogues and churches, philosophical schools and pagan mystery cults, this collection addresses the question of what can legitimately be termed a 'voluntary association'. Employing modern sociological concepts, the essays show how the various associations were constituted, the extent of their membership, why people joined them and what they contributed to the social fabric of urban life. For many, those groups were the most significant feature of social life beyond family and work. All of them provided an outlet of religious as well as social commitments. Also included are studies of the way in which early Jewish and Christian groups adopted and adapted the models of private association available to them and how this affected their social status and role. Finally, the situation of women is discussed, as some of the voluntary associations offered them a more significant recognition than they received in society at large.

Although several useful sources provide descriptive material on certain kinds of American Indian associations, until now none has offered a comprehensive survey of both extinct and current groups. This latest addition to Greenwood Press' Ethnic American Voluntary Organizations series addresses this void. The entry for each organization, presented alphabetically in the main body of the text, generally provides the reader with at least a brief history of the organization, noting, where possible, individuals involved in its creation. An effort has been made to tie the organization's development to major events in the history of Indian-white relations or in the Indian community itself. Where possible, references are made to other associations. Each entry concludes with a section of bibliographical material designed to assist the reader in undertaking a more in-depth investigation of the organization. Primary source material is listed where known to be available. The appendices classify the organizations under several general catagories and provide a chronological time chart that includes events that were either influenced by the creation of the organizations or were primary factors in their development.

Starting from what was, at its time, the most important vision of the Virgin Mary ever to take place in Western Europe, The Virgin and the Pentacle gradually uncovers a virtually unknown war that has been taking place across 1,700 years. This is the story of the battle between the orthodox Catholic Church and Freemasonry, itself the most modern manifestation of a much older religious conflict between patriarchal and matriarchal views of the godhead. Erupting occasionally in violence it is strikingly seen in the opposing visions of the Virgin Mary in the 19th century, which defined the conflicting theological parameters and led to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in the 1850s. Underpinning Freemasonic practice is a fraternity that has been active in Europe and beyond since the 4th century. At the heart of the Craft is a very specific social, economic and religious imperative, known only to the highest aspirants. The Virgin and the Pentacle cuts through the accusations that have been showered upon Freemasonry and shows what it's true objectives have been from the start. Reading like a whodunit, it is a story of dirty tricks that have included false visions, subterfuge and even murder. The conclusions are stunning and far reaching.

When Richard Ryder coined the term 'speciesism' over two decades ago, the issue of animal rights was very much a minority concern that had associations with crankiness. Today, the animal rights movement is well-established across the globe and continues to gain momentum, with animal experimentation for medical research high on the agenda and very much in the news. This pioneering book - an historical survey of the relationship between humans and non-humans - paved the way for these developments. Revised, updated to include the movement's recent history and available in paperback for the first time, and now introducing Ryder's concept of 'painism', Animal Revolution is essential reading for anyone who cares about animals or humanity. Dr Richard D. Ryder is a psychologist, ethicist, historian and political campaigner. He is also a past chairman of the RSPCA. His other books include Victims of Science: The Use of Animals in Research, The Political Animal: The Conquest of Speciesism and Animal Welfare and the Environment (editor). As Mellon Professor, he taught Animal Welfare at Tulane University.

The concept of social capital refers to the ways in which people make use of their social networks in "getting ahead." Social capital isn't just about the connections in networks, but fundamentally concerns the distribution of resources on the basis of exchanges. This volume focuses on how social capital interacts with social institutions, based on the premise that markets, communities, and families are the major contexts within which people meet and build up social networks and the foci to create social capital. Featuring innovations in thinking about exchange mechanisms, resource distribution, institutional logics, resource diversity, and the degree of openness or closure of social networks, these chapters present some of the most important advances in this essential field. Paralleling these theoretical developments, the chapters also improve practical methodological work on social capital research, using new techniques and measurement methods for the uncovering of social logics.

The dazzling story of the early feminists who blazed a trail for the movement's most radical ideas New York City, 1912: in downtown Greenwich Village, a group of women gathered, all with a plan to change the world. This was the first meeting of 'Heterodoxy', a secret social club. Its members were passionate advocates of women's suffrage, labour rights, equal marriage and free love. They were socialites and socialists; reformers and revolutionaries; artists, writers and scientists. Hotbed is the never-before-told story of the club whose audacious ideas and unruly acts transformed an international feminist agenda into a modern way of life. For readers who loved Mo Moulton's Mutual Admiration Society and Francesca Wade's Square Haunting.

"Ribbon Culture" explores the history, meaning, and sociological implications of the popular practice of 'showing awareness'. The book suggests that we see the rise of awareness campaigns in terms of a growing interest in personal displays of compassion in a cultural climate where empathy has become a by-word for authenticity. Not only this, but "Ribbon Culture" highlights charities' use of slick awareness campaigns to 'reach' their target-audience and explores the repercussions of the transformation of charity into a commercial enterprise.

Environmental movements are at a crossroads. Increasingly institutionalized almost everywhere in the industrially developed societies, established environmental organizations are confronted by new radical groups and uninstitutionalized local protesters. Despite growing evidence of the universality of environmental problems and of economic and cultural globalization, the development of a truly global environmental movement is at best tentative. The dilemmas which confront environmental organizations are no less apparent at the global than at national levels. This volume is a collection of 1990s research on environmental movements in western and southern Europe, the US and the global arena.

Environmental movements are at a crossroads. Increasingly institutionalized almost everywhere in the industrially developed societies, established environmental organizations are confronted by new radical groups and uninstitutionalized local protesters. Despite growing evidence of the universality of environmental problems and of economic and cultural globalization, the development of a truly global environmental movement is at best tentative. The dilemmas which confront environmental organizations are no less apparent at the global than at national levels. This volume is a collection of 1990s research on environmental movements in western and southern Europe, the US and the global arena.

Writing Secrecy in Caribbean Free Masonry analyzes the Masonic, literary, and political writings of Andres Cassard, Ramon E. Betances, Jose Marti, Arturo Schomburg, and Rafael Serra, Spanish Caribbean intellectuals who lived in the decades of anti-colonial struggle in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola (1860-1898). In the Caribbean, Masonic notions of liberal freedom coincided with the legacies of empire and colonial slavery, creating languages of secrecy, dissent, and radical affective politics that influenced radical Caribbean political cultures in the turn of the nineteenth century. By analyzing the lives, writings, and activism of these exiled Masonic intellectuals, this book provides insights into the Pan-Caribbean formations of nation and diaspora and sheds light on the role of print-culture, Masonic ritual and languages, racial ideologies, and community in the Caribbean and the United States.

Based upon a series of detailed case studies of associations such as early synagogues and churches, philosophical schools and pagan mystery cults, this collection addresses the question of what can legitimately be termed a "voluntary association". Employing modern sociological concepts, the essays show how the various associations were constituted, the extent of their membership, why people joined them and what they contributed to the social fabric of urban life. For many, such groups were the most significant feature of social life beyond family and work. All of them provided an outlet of religious as well as social commitments. Also included are studies of the way in whcih early Jewish and Christian groups adopted and adapted the models of private association available to them and how this affected their social status and role. Finally, the situation of women is discussed, as some of the voluntary associations offered them a more significant recognition than they received in society at large.