The Crossroads of Gender and Freemasonry: An Introduction

Abstract

In this Dossier on “Gender and Freemasonry” we argue that such topics have to be studied in the specific cultural context in which they were developed. Regarding the complex term of gender, we based our approach in the works of gender scholar, Judith Butler. In her works Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter, she proposes a social and cultural constructivist approach to gender. In Gender Trouble Butler utilizes Michel Foucault’s thesis that power is productive of gender and sexuality. In Bodies That Matter she introduces a more sophisticated view of the study and conception of gender, as a performance or performativity.