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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 1821]
==Definition==
*1: any of various [[oath]]-bound [[societies]] often devoted to brotherhood, [[moral]] [[discipline]], and [[mutual]] [[assistance]]
==Description==
A '''secret society''' is a club or [[organization]] whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The [[society]] may or may not attempt to conceal its [[existence]]. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_agencies intelligence agencies], or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their activities and memberships but maintain a [[public]] [[presence]]. The exact qualifications for labeling a group as a ''secret society'' are disputed, but [[definitions]] generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on [[secrecy]], and might involve the retention and transmission of secret [[knowledge]], denial of membership in or knowledge of the [[group]], the [[creation]] of personal [[bonds]] between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or [[rituals]] which solidify members of the [[group]].
[[Anthropology|Anthropologically]] and historically, ''secret societies'' are deeply interlinked with the concept of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerbund Mannerbund], the all-male "[[warrior]]-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern [[cultures]] (see H. Schurtz, ''Alterklassen und Mannerbunde'', Berlin, 1902; A. Van Gennep, ''The Rites of Passage'', Chicago, 1960).
A purported "family tree of secret societies" has been proposed, although it may not be comprehensive.[2]
The Thuggee were a secret cult of assassins who worshipped the Hindu goddess Kali.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Axelrod Alan Axelrod], author of the ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'', defines a ''secret society'' as an [[organization]] that:
*Is exclusive.
*Claims to own special secrets.
*Shows a strong inclination to favor its own.
David V. Barrett, author of ''Secret Societies: From the Ancient and Arcane to the Modern and Clandestine'', uses slightly [[different]] terms to define what does and does not qualify as a secret society. He defines it as any [[group]] that possesses the following characteristics:
*It has "carefully graded and progressed teachings"
*Teachings are "available only to selected individuals"
*Teachings lead to "hidden (and 'unique') truths"
*Truths bring "personal benefits beyond the reach and even the understanding of the uninitiated."
Barrett goes on to say that "a further characteristic common to most of them is the [[practice]] of [[rituals]] which non-members are not permitted to [[observe]], or even to know the [[existence]] of." Barrett's definition would rule out many [[organizations]] called ''secret societies''; graded teaching is usually not part of the American college fraternities, the Carbonari, or the 19th century Know Nothings.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_societies]
[[Category: Anthropology]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 1821]
==Definition==
*1: any of various [[oath]]-bound [[societies]] often devoted to brotherhood, [[moral]] [[discipline]], and [[mutual]] [[assistance]]
==Description==
A '''secret society''' is a club or [[organization]] whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The [[society]] may or may not attempt to conceal its [[existence]]. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_agencies intelligence agencies], or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their activities and memberships but maintain a [[public]] [[presence]]. The exact qualifications for labeling a group as a ''secret society'' are disputed, but [[definitions]] generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on [[secrecy]], and might involve the retention and transmission of secret [[knowledge]], denial of membership in or knowledge of the [[group]], the [[creation]] of personal [[bonds]] between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or [[rituals]] which solidify members of the [[group]].
[[Anthropology|Anthropologically]] and historically, ''secret societies'' are deeply interlinked with the concept of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerbund Mannerbund], the all-male "[[warrior]]-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern [[cultures]] (see H. Schurtz, ''Alterklassen und Mannerbunde'', Berlin, 1902; A. Van Gennep, ''The Rites of Passage'', Chicago, 1960).
A purported "family tree of secret societies" has been proposed, although it may not be comprehensive.[2]
The Thuggee were a secret cult of assassins who worshipped the Hindu goddess Kali.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Axelrod Alan Axelrod], author of the ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'', defines a ''secret society'' as an [[organization]] that:
*Is exclusive.
*Claims to own special secrets.
*Shows a strong inclination to favor its own.
David V. Barrett, author of ''Secret Societies: From the Ancient and Arcane to the Modern and Clandestine'', uses slightly [[different]] terms to define what does and does not qualify as a secret society. He defines it as any [[group]] that possesses the following characteristics:
*It has "carefully graded and progressed teachings"
*Teachings are "available only to selected individuals"
*Teachings lead to "hidden (and 'unique') truths"
*Truths bring "personal benefits beyond the reach and even the understanding of the uninitiated."
Barrett goes on to say that "a further characteristic common to most of them is the [[practice]] of [[rituals]] which non-members are not permitted to [[observe]], or even to know the [[existence]] of." Barrett's definition would rule out many [[organizations]] called ''secret societies''; graded teaching is usually not part of the American college fraternities, the Carbonari, or the 19th century Know Nothings.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_societies]
[[Category: Anthropology]]
