Following the appointment of its first aristocratic Grand Masters in the 1720s and in the wake of its connections to the scientific Enlightenment, 'Free and Accepted' Masonry rapidly became part of Britain's national profile and the largest and most influential of Britain's extensive clubs and societies. The new organisation did not evolve naturally from the mediaeval guilds and religious orders that pre-dated it, but was reconfigured radically by a largely self-appointed inner core. It became a vehicle for the expression and transmission of their political and religious views, and for the scientific Enlightenment concepts that they championed, and hence naturally attracted an aspirational membership. ... Through an examination of new and previously unexplored primary documentary evidence, the book aims to contribute to an understanding of contemporary English political and social culture and explore how Freemasonry became a mechanism that promoted the interests of the Hanoverian establishment, connecting a number of elite metropolitan and provincial figures. A range of networks centred on the aristocracy, parliament, the learned and professional societies, and the magistracy, are examined; and key individuals instrumental in spreading the Masonic message are evaluated. Special focus is given to the role of the 'Craft' in the development of the scientific Enlightenment. ... Ric Berman concludes that Freemasonry should be recognised not only as the most prominent of the many eighteenth-century fraternal organisations, but also as a significant cultural vector and a component of the social, economic, scientific and political transformation then in progress. This analysis throws a new and original light on the formation and development of what rapidly became a national and international phenomenon.

This book was published for the Bicentennial Celebration of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Delaware that was formed in 1806. It covers primarily events and activities for the last 50 years because in 1956 Brother Charles E. Green published a history of the first 150 years. However, there is information for the reader in this publication prior to 1956, e.g. Grand Master pictures and Blue Lodge information and building pictures. The reader will be interested in the various Grand Lodge changes over the last 50 years as well as activities that Delaware Masons have organized or participated within Delaware or surrounding states. A Mason, either within Delaware or elsewhere, will enjoy reading about topics of interest regarding the Grand Lodge of Delaware, the Blue Lodges and other events that have occurred in the last 50 years. A non-mason will discover much about Freemasonry.

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.

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.

Originally published in 2003, The Light Inside is a ground-breaking study of an Afro-Cuban secret society, its sacred arts, and their role in modern Cuban cultural history. Enslaved Africans and creoles developed the Abakua Society, a system of men's fraternal lodges, in urban Cuba beginnings in 1836. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the country, the book's novel approach builds on close readings of dazzling Abakua altars, chalk-drawn signs, and hooded masquerades. It looks at the art history of Abakua altars, not only tracing changing styles but also how they evolve through cycles of tradition and renovation. The Light Inside reflects the essence of the artists' creativity and experience: through adornment, altars project the powerful spirituality of Abakua practice, an aesthetic strategy. The book also traces a biography of Abakua objects - their shifting forms and meanings - as they participated in successive periods of Cuban cultural history. The book constructs close rhetorical and visual analyses of changing representations of the Abakua, spanning nineteenth-century arts and letters, modern ethnographic texts, museum displays, paintings, and late twentieth century commercial kitsch. This interdisciplinary work combines art history, African Diaspora, cultural studies and cultural anthropology with Latin American.

Women have experienced decades of economic and political repression across Latin America, where many nations are built upon patriarchal systems of power. However, a recent confluence of political, economic, and historical factors has allowed for the emergence of civil society organizations (CSOs) that afford women a voice throughout the region. Leadership from the Margins describes and analyzes the unique leadership styles and challenges facing the women leaders of CSOs in Argentina, Chile, and El Salvador. Based on ethnographic research, Serena Cosgrove's analysis offers a nuanced account of the distinct struggles facing women, and how differences of class, political ideology, and ethnicity have informed their outlook and organizing strategies. Using a gendered lens, she reveals the power and potential of women's leadership to impact the direction of local, regional, and global development agendas.

Based on unprecedented access to the Order's internal documents, this book provides the first systematic social history of the Orange Order - the Protestant association dedicated to maintaining the British connection in Northern Ireland.
Kaufmann charts the Order's path from the peak of its influence, in the early 1960s, to its present-day crisis. Along the way, he sketches a portrait of many of Orangeism's leading figures, from ex-Prime Minister John Andrews to Ulster Unionist Party politicians like Martin Smyth, James Molyneaux, and David McNarry. Kaufmann also includes the highly revealing correspondence with adversaries such as Ian Paisley and David Trimble.
Packed with analyses of mass-membership trends and attitudes, the book also takes care to tell the story of the Order from 'below' as well as from above. In the process, it argues that the traditional Unionism of West Ulster is giving way to the more militant Unionism of Antrim and Belfast which is winning the hearts of the younger generation in cities and towns throughout the province.

What role do Chinese popular associations play in the expansion of civil society and democratization? Under Mao few associations were permitted to exist, while today over 200,000 associations are officially recognized. Are they important foundations of civil society, or vehicles for state corporatism and control? In this book leading China specialists examine an interesting range of associations, from business associations to trade unions, to urban homeowners associations, women's groups against domestic violence, and rural NGOs that develop anti-poverty programs. The contributors find different important trends underway in different parts of China's economy and society. Their findings are nuanced, insightful - and often not what might be expected.

What role do Chinese popular associations play in the expansion of civil society and democratization? Under Mao few associations were permitted to exist, while today over 200,000 associations are officially recognized. Are they important foundations of civil society, or vehicles for state corporatism and control? In this book leading China specialists examine an interesting range of associations, from business associations to trade unions, to urban homeowners associations, women's groups against domestic violence, and rural NGOs that develop anti-poverty programs. The contributors find different important trends underway in different parts of China's economy and society. Their findings are nuanced, insightful - and often not what might be expected.

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.

In this astonishing book, celebrated reporter and New York Times — bestselling author Jim Marrs painstakingly explores the world's most closely guarded secrets, exposing clandestine cabals and the power they have wielded throughout time.  Defiantly rooting out the truth, he unearths starting evidence that the real movers and shakers covertly collude to start and stop wars, manipulate stock markets and interest rates, maintain class distinctions, and even censor the six o'clock news.  And they do all this under the mindful auspices of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, the CIA, and even the Vatican.

Drawing on historical evidence and his own impeccable research, Mars carefully traces the mysteries that connect these modern-day conspiracies to humankind's prehistory.  The eye-opening result is an extraordinary synthesis of historical information — much of it long hidden from the public — that sheds light on the people and organizations that rule our lives.

Disturbing, provocative, and utterly compelling, Rule by Secrecy offers a singular worldview that may explain who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.

Conceived By General. Sir Robert Baden-Powell as a way to reduce class tensions in Edwardian Britain, scouting evolved into an international youth movement. It offered a vision of romantic outdoor life as a cure for disruption caused by industrialization and urbanization. Scouting's global spread was due to its success in attaching itself to institutions of authority. As a result, scouting has become embroiled in controversies in the civil rights struggle in the American South, in nationalist resistance movements in India, and in the contemporary American debate over gay rights. In Race, Resistance, and the Boy Scout Movement in British Colonial Africa. Timothy Parsons uses scouting as an analytical tool to explore the tensions in colonial society. Introduced by British officials to strengthen their rule, the movement targeted the students, juvenile delinquents, and urban migrants who threatened the social stability of the regime. Yet Africans themselves used scouting to claim the rights of full imperial citizenship. They invoked the Fourth Scout Law, which declared that a scout was a brother to every other scout, to challenge racial discrimination. Parsons shows that African scouting was both an instrument of colonial authority and a subversive challenge to the legitimacy of the British Empire. His study of African scouting demonstrates the implications and far-reaching consequences of colonial authority in all its guises.

Freemasonry is the largest, oldest, and most influential secret society in the world. The Brill Handbook of Freemasonry is a pioneering work that brings together, for the first time, leading scholars on Freemasonry. The first section covers historical perspectives, such as the origins and early history of Freemasonry. The second deals with the relationship between Freemasonry and specific religious traditions such as the Catholic Church, Judaism, and Islam. In the third section, organisational themes, such as the use of rituals, are explored, while the fourth section deals with issues related to society and politics - women, blacks, colonialism, nationalism, and war. The fifth and final section is devoted to Freemasonry and culture, including music, literature, modern art, architecture and material culture.

In 2003, the publication of The Da Vinci Code propelled the enigmatic Priory of Sion to international fame as the guardians of a sacred bloodline. But Guy Patton has been investigating the group for more than two decades, and has reached the conclusion that the Priory operates within the milieu of occult politics, a shadowy world in which secret societies throughout the centuries have tried to influence the power of governments and the fate of nations; a world of symbols, archetypes, ritual and fantasy, where the separation of idealism, personal gain, egocentricity and criminality are often blurred. Patton's investigation reveals that the Priory is only part of a web of secretive groups and individuals many of which, in true Machiavellian style, have resorted to deception, fraud, blackmail and even murder in pursuit of hidden, and frequently sinister, goals. Their manipulation is now laid bare. Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln said that Masters of Deception should be considered as the third part of Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy

This book, a product of collaboration and cooperation between two non-Masonic historians and the Grand Lodge of Virginia, is an objective, comprehensive study of the history of Freemasonry in the state of Virginia. The authors relate a fascinating chronicle of Freemasonry, from its British origins two hundred years ago to today. Along the way, they describe the colorful figures who populate this history and debunk many myths about Freemasonry.

This unique collection considers the nature of writing groups inside and outside the academic environment. Exploring writing groups as contextual literacy events, editors Beverly J. Moss, Nels P. Highberg, and Melissa Nicolas bring together contributors to document and reflect on the various types of collaborations that occur in writing groups in a wide range of settings, both within and outside the academy. The chapters in this volume respond to a variety of questions about writing groups, including: *What is the impact of gender, race, and socioeconomic class on power dynamics in writing groups? *When is a writing group a community and are all writing groups communities? *How does the local community of a writing group impact the participation of group members in other local or global communities? *How does the local community of a writing group impact the participation of group members in other local or global communities? *What actions contribute to a strong community of writers and what actions contribute to the breakdown of community? *When and for whom are writing groups ineffective? *What is it about belonging to a community of writers that makes writing groups appealing to so many within and beyond the academy? Each chapter highlights how writing groups, whether or not they are labeled as such, function in various spaces and locations, and how collaboration works when writers from a variety of backgrounds with diverse interests come together. Writing Groups Inside and Outside the Classroom illustrates that writing groups outside of the academy are worthy of study and serve as important sites of writing and literacy instruction. Offering significant insights into the roles of writing groups in literacy and writing practice, this volume is appropriate for scholars and teachers of writing, rhetoric, composition, and literacy; for writing center administrators and staff; and for writing group participants.

This unique collection considers the nature of writing groups inside and outside the academic environment. Exploring writing groups as contextual literacy events, editors Beverly J. Moss, Nels P. Highberg, and Melissa Nicolas bring together contributors to document and reflect on the various types of collaborations that occur in writing groups in a wide range of settings, both within and outside the academy. The chapters in this volume respond to a variety of questions about writing groups, including: *What is the impact of gender, race, and socioeconomic class on power dynamics in writing groups? *When is a writing group a community and are all writing groups communities? *How does the local community of a writing group impact the participation of group members in other local or global communities? *How does the local community of a writing group impact the participation of group members in other local or global communities? *What actions contribute to a strong community of writers and what actions contribute to the breakdown of community? *When and for whom are writing groups ineffective? *What is it about belonging to a community of writers that makes writing groups appealing to so many within and beyond the academy? Each chapter highlights how writing groups, whether or not they are labeled as such, function in various spaces and locations, and how collaboration works when writers from a variety of backgrounds with diverse interests come together. Writing Groups Inside and Outside the Classroom illustrates that writing groups outside of the academy are worthy of study and serve as important sites of writing and literacy instruction. Offering significant insights into the roles of writing groups in literacy and writing practice, this volume is appropriate for scholars and teachers of writing, rhetoric, composition, and literacy; for writing center administrators and staff; and for writing group participants.

A high-ranking Mason offers a fascinating glimpse into the Western world's most secretive society. Manly P. Hall, a scholar of occult and esoteric ideas, traces the path followed by initiates to the ancient craft. Hall also recounts the ethical training required of a Freemason, and he profiles the character traits a Mason must "build" within himself.
More than a mere social organization a few centuries old, Freemasonry can be regarded as a perpetuation of the philosophical mysteries and initiations of the ancients. This book reveals the unique and distinctive elements that have inspired generations of Masons. Thoughtful members of the craft, as well as outsiders, will appreciate its exploration of Masonic idealism and the eternal quest, from humble candidate to entered apprentice and master Mason.

The senses are made, not given. This revolutionary realization has come as of late to inform research across the social sciences and humanities, and is currently inspiring groundbreaking experimentation in the world of art and design, where the focus is now on mixing and manipulating the senses. The Sensory Studies Manifesto tracks these transformations and opens multiple lines of investigation into the diverse ways in which human beings sense and make sense of the world. This unique volume treats the human sensorium as a dynamic whole that is best approached from historical, anthropological, geographic, and sociological perspectives. In doing so, it has altered our understanding of sense perception by directing attention to the sociality of sensation and the cultural mediation of sense experience and expression. David Howes challenges the assumptions of mainstream Western psychology by foregrounding the agency, interactivity, creativity, and wisdom of the senses as shaped by culture. The Sensory Studies Manifesto sets the stage for a radical reorientation of research in the human sciences and artistic practice.

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.

Contents:
Forward. Preface. 1.Triads, Business and Market. Part I: The Triads 2.The Origins. 3.The Organisation. Part II: Legal Markets 4.Protection Against Extortionists. 5.Protection Against Competitors: Traditional Operations. 6.Protection Against Competitors: Recent Operations. 7.Dispute Settlement. Part III: Illegal Markets 8.Drug Dealing. 9.Gambling. 10.Prostitution. Part IV: International Markets 11.Drug Trafficking. 12.Human Smuggling. Part V: Implications and Reflections 13.Are Triads Extortionists, Entrepreneurs, or Protectors? 14.International Triad Movement: Emigration or Reversion? 15.New Directions in the study of Triads.

Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgements. Chronology. Acronyms. I. Introduction II. Bridging Literature Gaps: Framing the Problem of the Politics of Development Cooperation III. The Evolution of MYWO since 1952 to 1992 IV. A Changing Research Methodology Amidst Political Volatility, Environmental Uncertainty and a Culture of Fear and Silence V. Research findings: A Barrage of Contradictions VI. The Web of Deceit: Grassroots Development Caught? VII. End Notes VIII. Appendices IX. Bibliography

This is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism. It traces the development of Ribbonism from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s until the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland's long tradition of collective action and protest, this book shows that, owing to its diversity and adaptability, it shared similarities, but also stood apart from, the many rural redresser groups of the period and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, 'show trial' proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Its Diaspora is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.

Makerspaces-local workshops that offer access to and training on fabrication technologies, often with a focus on creativity, education, and entrepreneurship-proliferated in the 2010s, popping up in cities across the world. Beyond the Makerspace is a longitudinal, ethnographically informed study of a particular Seattle makerspace that begins in 2015 and ends with the closing of the space in 2018. Examining acts of making with objects, tools, words, and relationships, Beyond the Makerspace reads making as a kind of rhetoric, or meaning-making work, and argues that acts of making things are rhetorical in the sense that they are culturally situated and that they mark boundaries of what counts as making and who counts as maker. By focusing on a particular makerspace over time, Shivers-McNair attends to a changing cohort of makerspace regulars as they face challenges of bringing their vision of inclusivity and diversity to fruition, and offers an examination of how makers are made (and unmade, and remade) in a makerspace. Beyond the Makerspace contributes not only to our understanding of making and makerspaces, but also to our understanding of how to study making-and meaning making, more broadly-in ways that examine and intervene in the marking of difference. Thus, the book examines what (and whose) values and practices we are taking up when we identify as makers or when we turn a writing classroom or a library space into a makerspace.

Like the Green Revolution of the 1960s, a "Blue Revolution" has taken place in global aquaculture. Geared towards quenching the appetite of privileged consumers in the global North, it has come at a high price for the South: ecological devastation, displacement of rural subsistence farmers, and labour exploitation. The uncomfortable truth is that food security for affluent consumers depends on a foundation of social and ecological devastation in the producing countries. In Confronting the Blue Revolution, Md Saidul Islam uses the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh and across the global South to show the social and environmental impact of industrialized aquaculture. The book pushes us to reconsider our attitudes to consumption patterns in the developed world, neoliberal environmental governance, and the question of sustainability.