A Noble Fight: African American Freemasonry and the Struggle for Democracy in AmericaA Noble Fight examines the metaphors and meanings behind the African American appropriation of the culture, ritual, and institution of freemasonry in navigating the contested domain of American democracy. Combining cultural and political theory with extensive archival research--including the discovery of a rare collection of nineteenth-century records of an African American Freemason Lodge--Corey D. B. Walker provides an innovative perspective on American politics and society during the long transition from slavery to freedom. With great care and detail, Walker argues that African American freemasonry provides a critical theoretical lens for understanding the distinctive ways African Americans have constructed a radically democratic political imaginary through racial solidarity and political nationalism, forcing us to reconsider much more circumspectly the complex relationship between voluntary associations and democratic politics. |
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Contents
| 1 | |
1 The Specter of Democracy | 23 |
2 A Cartography of Democracy | 45 |
3 Ritual and Revolution | 86 |
4 A New Political Ideology | 128 |
5 The Democratic Uses of Ritual and Secrecy | 175 |
Other editions - View all
A Noble Fight: African American Freemasonry and the Struggle for Democracy ... Corey D. B. Walker No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
A/democracy African Ameri African American Freemasons African diaspora African Lodge Albemarle County American democracy articulated associational Atlantic world black body black masculinity Blake Cayton challenge Charlottesville Chronicle citizenship civic colored concept contested critical cultural formation cultural politics culture and institution culture of Freemasonry defined Delany Delany’s Delevan democracy in America democratic diaspora economic European American European Freemasonry field financial first fraternity freedom Gabriel’s Rebellion group of African Hall’s highlights ideal ideology of redeeming ideology of redemption institution of Freemasonry interrogation Jefferson Lodge literacy logic Martin Delany Masonic Masonry members of Jefferson Michel Foucault nation Negro organization Oxford University Press politics of masculinity politics of respectability position postemancipation period Prince Hall Prince Hall Freemasonry racial redeeming the black reflect ritual of race significant slave slavery social and political society space specter strategy surveillance symbols tion Tocqueville Union Grand Lodge United violence W. E. B. DuBois York
Bibliographic information
| Title | A Noble Fight: African American Freemasonry and the Struggle for Democracy in America |
| Author | Corey D. B. Walker |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press, 2010 |
| ISBN | 0252092775, 9780252092770 |
| Length | 304 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / History & Theory Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies Social Science / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |