They built some of the first communal structures on the empire's
frontiers. The empire's most powerful proconsuls sought entrance
into their lodges. Their public rituals drew dense crowds from
Montreal to Madras. The Ancient Free and Accepted Masons were
quintessential builders of empire, argues Jessica Harland-Jacobs.
In this first study of the relationship between Freemasonry and
British imperialism, Harland-Jacobs takes readers on a journey
across two centuries and five continents, demonstrating that from
the moment it left Britain's shores, Freemasonry proved central to
the building and cohesion of the British Empire.
The organization formally emerged in 1717 as a fraternity
identified with the ideals of Enlightenment cosmopolitanism, such
as universal brotherhood, sociability, tolerance, and benevolence.
As Freemasonry spread to Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australasia,
and Africa, the group's claims of cosmopolitan brotherhood were put
to the test. Harland-Jacobs examines the brotherhood's role in
diverse colonial settings and the impact of the empire on the
brotherhood; in the process, she addresses issues of globalization,
supranational identities, imperial power, fraternalism, and
masculinity. By tracking an important, identifiable institution
across the wide chronological and geographical expanse of the
British Empire,
Builders of Empire makes a significant
contribution to transnational history as well as the history of the
Freemasons and imperial Britain.