Conference: Knowledge to die for

The conference Knowledge to die for: Transmission of Prohibited and Esoteric Knowledge through Space and Time will take place on May 2-4 2011 at the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.
The conference deals with prohibited, heretical and esoteric knowledge, as attested in Mesopotamia and in ancient Jewish, Rabbinic, and Apocalyptic literature, as well as in Christian and Islamic contexts, pre-Islamic and later Iranian sources, and incorporating Judeo-Christian-Muslim heterodoxies.
Speakers will include: Michael Stone (Jerusalem), Boris Uspenskij (Naples), Gebhard Selz (Vienna), Tal Ilan (Berlin), Alexander Kulik (Jerusalem), James Russell (Harvard), Dimitri Gutas (Yale), Hans Kippenberg (Bremen), Angelika Neuwirth (Berlin), Antonio Panaino (Bologna), Maria Macuch (Berlin), Velizar Sadovski (Vienna), Jens Braarvig (Oslo), Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst (Berlin), Yuri Stoyanov (London), David Shankland (London), Matteo Martelli (Berlin).
Organiser: Prof. Dr. Florentina Badalanova Geller, fgeller@zedat.fu-berlin.de. Contact: Kirsten Koners, kirsten.koners@topoi.org.

Vacancy: Director of Research, London

A job opportunity for a ‘director of research’ at one of the largest study collections in the field of study - The Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London, was announced today. See the advert in The Guardian: http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/4283204/director-of-research/.

In memoriam: André Hanou (1941-2011)

We have received a sad, but not unexpected message: professor André Hanou has passed away on 8th February 2011. The many 'in memoriams' that have since appeared online, make it clear just what a remarkable inspiration this Dutch researcher, author and tutor was to students and colleagues. We would like to mention his many contributions to the study of freemasonry amongst an impressive body of work:

Hanou studied philosophy, theology and Dutch literature. In 1988 he defended his dissertation at the Nijmegen University: De Sluiers van Isis. Johannes Kinker als voorvechter van de Verlichting, in de vrijmetselarij en andere Nederlandse genootschappen (The Veils of Isis. Johannes Kinker as a campaigner for the Enlightenment in freemasonry and other societies). It marked the beginning of a specialisation in Dutch literature of the Enlightenment. 

Between 1992 and 1998 he published a series of articles on his research of 18th century lodge archives in Thoth, a research journal for freemasons, including the series ‘Beelden der vrijmetselarij’ ('Images of Freemasonry').

‘De loge parterre’ ('The ground floor lodge') appeared in: ‘Een stille leerschool van deugd en goede zeden’. Vrijmetselarij in Nederland in de 18e en 19e eeuw in 1995.  In this article, Hanou drew attention to the lack of standard sources and statistical data for the (new) field of study, such as a bibliography of 18th century masonic publications and publication of membership lists of lodges. This overview is still very relevant today.

Hanou worked at the University of Amsterdam for a long time, where he eventually became professor in 1989. Together with his wife, Rietje van Vliet, he founded Astraea Publishers in 1994, which published many 18th century studies, including Onder de Acacia. Studies over de Nederlandse vrijmetselarij en vrijmetselaarsloges (Underneath the Acacia. Studies on Dutch freemasonry and masonic lodges, 1997). Hanou also actively participate in many research societies, including one of the first on the subject of western esotericism, Aries. This is where the founders of the OVN Foundation first met.

In 2000 Hanou was appointed at the Radboud University as professior of early modern Dutch literature. He published: De Naakte Waarheyt der Vrije Metselaars. Teksten van de 18de eeuwse schrijver Jacob Campo Weyerman over de Vrijmetselarij (The Naked Truth about Freemasons. Texts by the 18th century author Jacob Campo Weyerman, 2004).

For some, becoming emeritus professor marks the end of their scholarly productivity. But when that moment arrived for Hanou in 2006, the steady stream of publications continued. In 2007 he started blogging on the Herkauwer blog, where he shared his expertise, exciting discoveries in libraries, and opinions on new books on an almost daily basis. The number of visitors shot up to nearly 35.000 hits. And when it became clear that an illness would soon make an end to his life's work, he still kept on blogging. It's characteristic for his love of research that he quickly wrote columns about notes found in his archive, in order to stimulate a new generation of researchers to pick up those subjects.

From the foundation of the OVN in 2001 Hanou was involved, as a speaker at conferences and member of the research grant committee. He declined our invitation to join as board member because of his very busy working schedule, until he finally found the time to do so in 2009. Our board members welcomed his stimulating input on the foundation's activities and especially the sense of humor he brought to our meetings. We will miss him dearly. Following Hanou's own initiative, the OVN will shortly publish a compilation of his articles on Dutch freemasonry. We sincerely hope that a translation of his work into English will be published one day, so his contribution to the field of study will be accessible to even more readers.

Freemasonry on Dutch television

The BBC-program 'Who do you think you are?', which researches the family trees of celebrities has a Dutch counterpart, called Verborgen Verleden (= Hidden Past). In 2010 the OVN Foundation was approached to cooperate on an episode about a Dutch celebrity whose ancestors included a male and female freemason. The Grand Lodges of the two Orders were also involved in the program. We are not allowed to say yet whose family tree is discussed, but we can tell you to watch on 13 februari 2011 or the online version which will be available afterwards...

Update Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica: core collection transferred

The Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands has transferred the core collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica to the National Library in The Hague. Talks about the fate of the collection as a whole are ongoing. Meanwhile, the online petition to save the collection, initiated by experts in western esotericism at the University of Amsterdam, has been signed by more than 5500 students, researchers and other visitors in less than a month. You can still add your signature!

Save the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica !

The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam is one of the most renowned international study collections for scholars of western esotericism, including freemasonry. Unfortunately, the library is under threat of closure and sale by a bank. The OVN Foundation supports the petition to save the library, online at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ritmanlibrary/. Click on the link for more information on the issue. The petition is an initiative of the Chair for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, whose students and scholars have been researching the collection of the BPH for more than 10 years. Thank you for your support!

Online resources

The Institute for the study of German Aristocracy has published a list of aristocrats who were freemasons some time ago. In order to advertise it, the Institute has made a ‘taster’ available online: a list of aristocrats who were a member of the lodge Zu den drei Weltkugeln since 1817. You can access it through this link: http://home.foni.net/~adelsforschung/freim01.htm

- The Quatuor Coronati Lodge has updated its website for the Ars Quatuor Coronati research journal. The site offers various sample articles from past editions as downloads: http://quatuorcoronati.com/knowledge/aqc-downloads/.

- The Digital Library of Dutch Literature (DBNL)is a vast database with digitalised versions of publications and journals from the Netherlands. A recent addition is a large number of volumes of the journal of the working group for 18th century studies in the Netherlands (Documentatieblad Werkgroep Achttiende Eeuw), which includes several articles on freemasonry.

Update on the Cultural Masonic Centre

The Order of Freemasons under the Grand East of the Netherlands has updated its plans for the Cultural Masonic Centre (CMC) in The Hague.
As discussed earlier on this blog, the Order originally intended to move the CMC's collection to a location elsewhere in the Netherlands, which sparked a controversy. The plan was opposed by many scholars and heritage professionals, including the OVN Foundation, which appealed to the lodges and the heritage sector to allow the CMC's collection to remain within its historical and academic context in The Hague.
The Order has now announced that it will be reconsidering two options:
- remaining in The Hague with both the administrative chair and the CMC, because the historical ties to the city are a strong argument,
- relocating to the lodge building in Amsterdam, because this is already being renovated in order to attract a third party as co-resident.
The OVN hopes that the loges will now make good use of the wide support and interest expressed by the local heritage sector in cooperating on a suitable proposal for the old, or a new location in The Hague. The final decision will be made by the Order in june 2012, but a progress report is expected for the yearly meeting of lodges in june 2011.

The Philanthropy Files

The Museum and Library of Freemasonry in London is hosting The Philanthropy Files: records of charities and their uses, the annual conference of the British Records Association (BRA) on 7 December 2010. The programme includes speakers, both archivists and academic historians, on various aspects of charity history. As Archivist and Records Manager and a British Records Association Council member, Susan Snell will be contributing an overview of Masonic involvement in philanthropy, highlighting records available for research at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry. Please do not contact the Library and Museum if you would like to attend this conference - for registration see the BRA website: http://www.britishrecordsassociation.org.uk/pages/events.htm

Freemasons and Enlightenment: radicalism contested?

The Research Centers for the Study of Freemasonry (FREE) and the Study of the Enlightenment (VERL) at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) are organizing an international conference on the theme of Freemasons and Enlightenment: radicalism contested? on 9-10 December 2010. Speakers include:

- The Enlightenment and Freemasonry: A Critical Enquiry, Prof. Dr. Margaret Jacob, University of California, United States
- L’illusion radicale – La 'camera obscura' des Lumières, Prof. Dr. Charles Porset, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
- Radicalisme d'origine ou malentendu fondateur? La franc-maçonnerie dans les premiers pamphlets anti-maçonniques (1738-1742), Prof. Dr. Roger Dachez,
Université Paris III - Denis Diderot, France
- Russian freemasonry: A peculiar mixture of Aufklärung and Erleuchtung, Dr. Ton de Kok, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Libre pensée et idée de Lumières dans la Nahdha arabe: Le cas d’Adib Ishaq (1856-1884), Prof. Dr. Abdelaziz Labib, Université de Tunis El-Manar, Tunisia
- The Radical Enlightenment's Critique of Freemasonry: from Lessing to Mirabeau, Prof. Dr. Jonathan Israel, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, United States'
- English freemasonry during the Enlightenment: how radical, how conservative?, Prof. Dr. Cécile Revauger, Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux 3, France
- Les Illuminés de Bavière, une franc-maçonnerie "radicale"?, Prof. Dr. Jean Mondot, Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux 3, France
- Cosmopolitanism versus conflicting local and national identities in the Habsburg territories. Masonic networks and their political involvement under Joseph II, Dr. Tristan Coignard, Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux 3, France
- Enlightenment, either way!, Drs. Gerard Bonneke, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Radicalism and Extremism are mutually exclusive, Prof. Dr. Ludo Abicht, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Registration fee: € 30,- (students € 15,-), incl. lunch. Registration deadline: 1 December 2010 (by e-mail to: Kees.Veenstra@vub.ac.be, stating name and number of persons). More information: http://www.vub.ac.be/freemasons-and-enlightenment/