Freemasonry, history and memory: the question of origins

Abstract

The article deals with Freemasonry and its myths of origin. It is a contribution to the new scientific history of Freemasonry developed in Latin America since the 2000, in response to the French and Spanish influences. From the best specialists of Freemasonry, of sociology of knowledge and of the history of ideologies, the origins of the two large neo-traditions available on the origins of Freemasonry (the myths of ancient origins and medieval origins) are summarized. Then, the article seeks to reflect on the ideological foundations of these neo-traditions. It polls in a preliminary way some variants and militant applications that resulted from this neo-traditions during the 20th century, glimpsing a link between the myth of the ancient origins and modern ideology of progress on the one hand, and between the myth of medieval origins and traditionalist, reactionary or conservative ideology on the other hand. At this point, the article only paves the way for a broader and more systematic study whose bases are proposed in the conclusion.