Secret societies are becoming increasingly controversial—thrust into public awareness by popular books, films, the Internet and a host of recent documentaries.

In academia, this exposure finds a parallel in the proliferation of research, institutes and conferences.

Yet the media depictions tend to be caricatures, a playing to pervasive stereotypes for public consumption, while the academic stresses historical and philological matters.

In Brought to Light, associate professor of sociology Dr. J. Scott Kenney moves beyond history and applies the methods and theoretical tools of contemporary sociology to study the lived world of Freemasons in today’s society.

To provide a clear portrait of the patterned experiences of contemporary Freemasons and the issues faced by “the Craft today”, Dr. Kenney draws on qualitative data from interviews with contemporary Freemasons in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, video footage shot for a feature film on contemporary Freemasonry and his own experiences in nearly 15 years as a Freemason.

Brought to Light is a highly original contribution to sociology, Masonic scholarship and the social sciences generally.