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Organisation

Interdisciplinary Research group - Freemasonry

Research Group

Lifecycle:5 Oct 2005 →  8 Sep 2021
Organisation profile:

In recent years, the study of phenomenon Freemasonry has clearly gained momentum. Several new research centers and specialized chairs have seen the light at various European universities. The number of colloquia around the theme is getting bigger. Researchers in this field are beginning to become more and more profoundly visible as a close research community, especially at the European level. The involvement of several VUB professors and researchers in these developments is of considerable importance and is manifested in several areas. For a long time, the Pierre-Theodore Verhaegen Chair has been a dynamic factor in the presentation of recent research, with annual lecture cycles. VUB lecturers are closely involved in various national and international initiatives that try to generate both scientific research on masonic history and more public-oriented events. The VUB presence with innovative papers at international colloquia and symposia throughout Europe went by no means unnoticed. The Interdisciplinary Research Group Freemasonry aims to bring together and structure already existing research in this field within a VUB framework and to link it to wider developments in this research field by actively involving some external members. With their initiative, the members not only want to explicitly join a European network, but also wish to continue the leading role they are already playing in expanding the same network. The research group's activities also offer perspectives for the optimal expansion of existing international contacts outside of Europe.

Keywords:Fraternal societies, Freemasonry
Disciplines:Other sociology and anthropology, Ethics, History, Philosophy