Description
Book SynopsisFreemasonry has long been one of the most romanticized secret societies in the world. But a simple fact escapes most depictions of this elite brotherhood: there are women Freemasons, too. The author takes you inside Masonic lodges in contemporary Italy, where she observes the many ritualistic and fraternal bonds forged among women initiates.
Trade Review"A riveting analysis of the women Freemasons in Italy that illuminates the debates about and paradoxes of women's inclusion into a controversial secret 'brotherhood.' Mahmud initiates us with wisdom into the contradictions of a liberal political philosophy that extols universal brotherhood but is embedded in exclusionary practices of community and ritual based on class, race, and gender. This feminist ethnography is sure to become a classic in the anthropology of Europe." (Lila Abu-Lughod, author of Do Muslim Women Need Saving?)"
