A New Field of Academic Inquiry…
Since the mid-twentieth century, the
subject of Freemasonry has gained enhanced respectability
as a field of serious historical inquiry, and part of a wider
investigation into the emergence and evolution of civil society.
Sixty Ph.D. dissertations produced in American universities
during the past decade have focused on Freemasonry. There
has been little communication, however, between the American
Masonic community and professional academic institutions.
Our Mission…
The goal of the Roosevelt Center is to serve
as a focal point for conversation, inquiry and action by
students, faculty, Masons and others interested in the
emerging scholarly fields of civil society and Freemasonry.
The Center approaches Freemasonry as an association historically
representative of civil society as it developed from the
eighteenth-century onwards. It supports inquiry into the
role Freemasonry assumed in private and public life. It
also explores Masonic thought in a variety of historical
and contemporary settings. The approach of the Center is
multi-disciplinary, comparative and intended to support
work at multiple institutions as well as with independent
scholars.
Objectives…
- Improve understanding of civil society and Freemasonry.
- Inform universities in California, the Masonic community
and the learning public about the emerging field of the
academic study of Freemasonry, and the advantages and
need for comparative and global studies.
- Facilitate funding for research and travel grants,
scholarship programs, post-doctoral fellowships, communications,
and exchange programs.
- Convene conferences and exhibitions at appropriate
facilities.
- Publish studies, papers, and news of pertinent developments
in this field in COSMPOLIS, the Center’s quarterly
bulletin, and develop support for additional scholarly
publications and supplemental materials.
please read:
The Past and Future in Masonic
Scholarship
by Dr. Margaret Jacob,
Professor UCLA |
