2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Comparative Studies on Religious Societies and Esoteric Associations in European Social History
| Project/Area Number |
17320116
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
History of Europe and America
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
FUKASAWA Kasumi The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Professor (60199156)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MARIKO Sakurai University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Emeritus Professor (90011329)
KAWAHARA Atsushi Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Urban Liberal Arts, Professor (70186120)
KITAMURA Akio Japan Women's University, Faculty of Humanities, Professor (00186264)
NISHIKAWA Sugiko University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Associate Professor (80324888)
SHINOHARA Taku Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Associate Professor (20251564)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2007
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| Keywords | European History / Social History / History of Religions / Secret Societies / Esotericism / Freemasonry / Fraternity / Rite |
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| Research Abstract |
This study group has been organized in order to make a comparative research on the religious and esoteric character of various societies and associations which emerged succesively in European history and to analyze their organizations and thoughts in the long term from the antiquity to the modem times. The crossroad of the study group being the freemasonry, which developed rapidly in eighteenth-century Europe, the members have been composed of specialists in ancient Greece, medieval Germany and Netherlands, early modern France and England, modern Ireland and Bohemia as well as contemporary Italy They gathered in six meetings during the three years, to report their researches and to discuss common questions. The originality of the study group consists firstly in a comprehensive investigation of the societies of various functions, religious, economic or political, because these functions were often compatible, convertible or interchangeable in historical evolution, as opposed to the traditional historiography which classified these associations separately according to their functions. It consists secondly in the importance attached to the ritual and symbolical aspects of fraternal orders, as opposed to their institutional or functional aspects which dominated the traditional historiography. Il consists thirdly in the historical and social approach to the esoteric or initiating thoughts which alimented various rites and symbolism, in addition to the traditional philosophical or literary approach. It is true that the result of researches is unequal according to each member however it will be the first step to future studies on the irrational and mystic basis of the Occidental civilizations, to understand in a better way the cultural structure of our contemporary world.
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