Secular Enlightenment: Balancing Faith and Masonic Virtues
Join us for the UCLA International Conference on Freemasonry, free for UCLA students and faculty.
The conference will take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at Covell Commons, in the Grand Horizon Ballroom, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Scholars from around the world will participate in a deep discussion of the nuanced relationship between Freemasonry, religion, and the development of secular democratic societies around the world. Learn how Freemasonry incorporated a diverse spectrum of religious views, as well as how religious and nonreligious Masons became proponents of a secular fraternity and secular governments.
Hear from distinguished professor of history Margaret Jacob in her last year at UCLA prior to retirement. Speakers from around the world will travel to Los Angeles to honor Professor Jacob’s remarkable career and share global perspectives of Freemasonry in a historical context.
- Natalie Bayer, Ph.D., Drake University, Iowa – 18th-Century Russian Freemasonry: Learn how Freemasonry and Masonic lodges played a vital role in the transmission of ideas within 18th century Russian society.
- Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire, Ph.D., University of Nice, France – Lodges as Sanctuaries or Workshops for the World: In the 18th century, Masonic lodges found themselves at a crossroads when some members wanted to limit philanthropy to the intimate setting of the lodge and others wanted to promote Masonic values within the public sphere.
- José Antonio Ferrer Benimeli, Ph.D., University of Zaragoza, Spain – The French Revolution: Did existing Masonic values of fraternity and equality fuel the French Revolution, or was it the French Revolution that enshrined these values in Freemasonry?
- Jessica Harland-Jacobs, Ph.D., University of Florida – Early Secular Freemasonry: Although early Freemasonry claimed to accept men of all faiths, in the 19th century, this aim was oftentimes limited by imperialist forces.
- Reinhard Markner, M.A., University of Innsbruck, Austria – Revisiting the Illuminati: Although the Illuminati Order was dismissed as a school for radicalism in the 1700s, contemporary research suggests that Illuminati degrees may in fact align with the central ideas of radical, secular Enlightenment thought.
- Remzi Sanver, Ph.D., Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey – Secular Spirituality: From the unique vantage point of 20th century Turkey, discover how Freemasonry offers men an avenue for exploring secular spirituality through universal esotericism.
- María Eugenia Vázquez Semadeni, Ph.D., Mexico – Unveiling Masonic History: Learn more about Margaret Jacob’s influential role in the field of Masonic historical research.
Join us!
Conference attendance is free for UCLA students and faculty. Please use code 2018UCLA when registering. To learn more or register, visit: freemason.org/ucla
