Dead White Men: Masculinity, Faith, and Death in Early Twentieth Century Freemasonry
Date
2013-09-25
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Abstract
Late nineteenth and early twentieth century Freemasonry has generally been understood as a staunchly middle-class organization that promoted class cohesion, and provided a vehicle for social mobility, as well as a means to attain and broadcast respectability. Similarly, the popularity of the order has been regarded as evidence of a late Victorian “flight from domesticity” as men sought to escape the stifling feminine influence in the home and church.
The characterization of late Victorian and Edwardian era Freemasonry as a reactionary space fails to account for the personal and emotive functions of Freemasonic ritual. This thesis examines Masonic materials and rituals, especially those surrounding death and dying, and argues that Freemasonry satisfied many deeply personal emotional and religious needs of Canadian men in the early twentieth century.
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Keywords
Canadian, Church
Citation
Bower, C. (2013). Dead White Men: Masculinity, Faith, and Death in Early Twentieth Century Freemasonry (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25523