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- Title
DEATH BY PUBLICITY: U.S. FREEMASONRY AND THE PUBLIC DRAMA OF SECRECY.
- Authors
Gunn, Joshua
- Abstract
In this essay I argue that the decline of Freemasonry in the United States is homologous to a general decline in civic engagement. An examination of the centuriesold ritual and symbolism of the fraternity reveals a dynamic relationship between promise making and secrecy that has sustained Masonry for almost 300 years. In the context of its dwindling membership, I argue that recent attempts by Masonic leaders to promote the fraternity in the language of transparency not only bespeak the paradoxical way in which publics are threatened by publicity, but also suggest that a sense of mystery is necessary to sustain a public over time.
- Subjects
UNITED States; PUBLICITY -- Social aspects; MEMBERSHIP in associations, institutions, etc.; SECRECY -- Social aspects; FREEMASONS; FREEMASONRY; PUBLIC opinion; SYMBOLISM
- Publication
Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 2008, Vol 11, Issue 2, p243
- ISSN
1094-8392
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/rap.0.0029