A secret society is an

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

insurgencies, that hide their activities and memberships but maintain a public presence. Secret societies may be community-based or associated with colleges and universities. These societies exist in countries around the world.

Definitions

The exact qualifications for labeling a group 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, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals. Anthropologically and historically, secret societies have been deeply interlinked with the concept of the Männerbund, the all-male "warrior-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern cultures (see H. Schurtz, ''Alterklassen und Männerbünde'', Berlin, 1902; A. Van Gennep, ''The Rites of Passage'', Chicago, 1960). A purported "

family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

of secret societies" has been proposed, although it may not be comprehensive. 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 members. Historian Richard B. Spence of the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

offered a similar three-pronged definition: * The group's existence is usually not kept secret, but some beliefs or practices are concealed from the public and require an oath of secrecy and loyalty to learn. * The group promises superior status or knowledge to members. * The group's membership is in some way restrictive, such as by race, sex, religious affiliation, or invitation only. Spence also proposes a sub-category of " Elite Secret Societies" (composed of high-income or socially influential people) and notes that secret societies have a frequent if not universal tendency towards factionalism, infighting, and claiming origins older than can be reliably documented. Spence's definition includes groups traditionally thought of as secret societies ( Freemasons and Rosicrucians) and other groups not so traditionally classified such as certain organized crime cabals ( the Mafia), religious groups ( Order of Assassins and

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial ma ...

) and political movements (

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

s and Black Dragon Society). Historian Jasper Ridley says that

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

is "the world's most powerful secret Society". The organization " Opus Dei" (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "Work of God") is portrayed as a "secret society" of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Critics such as the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Wladimir Ledóchowski sometimes refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic (or

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

or "

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

") form of

. Other critics label Opus Dei as "Holy Mafia" or "Santa Mafia" The National Christian Association (1868–1983) is an example of an organization opposed to secret societies.

Realms

Politics

Because some secret societies have

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

aims, they are illegal in several countries.

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

( Constitution of Italy, Section 2, Articles 13–28) and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, for example, ban secret political parties and political organizations in their constitutions.

Colleges and universities

Many student societies established on university campuses in the United States have been considered secret societies. Perhaps one of the most famous secret collegiate societies is Skull and Bones at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. The influence of undergraduate secret societies at colleges such as

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

, the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and Wellesley College has been publicly acknowledged, if anonymously and circumspectly, since the 19th century. British universities have a long history of secret societies or quasi-secret clubs, such as The Pitt Club at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Bullingdon Club at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, the Kate Kennedy Club, The Kensington Club and the Praetorian Club at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

, and the 16' Club at St David's College. Another British secret society is the Cambridge Apostles, founded as an essay and debating society in 1820. Not all British universities host solely academic secret societies; both The Night Climbers of Cambridge and The Night Climbers of Oxford require both brains and brawn. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Vandermonde is the secret society of the

Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers The (; ; abbr. CNAM) is an AMBA-accredited French ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement''. It is a member of the '' Conférence des Grandes écoles'', which is an equivalent to the Ivy League schools in the United States, Oxbridge in th ...

. Notable examples in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

include

Episkopon Episkopon (Greek alphabet, Greek: ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩΝ, "bishop") was a secret society at University of Trinity College, Trinity College in the University of Toronto. Its male branch formed in 1858, followed by the female branch in 1899. It was the ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

's Trinity College and the Society of Thoth at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. Secret societies are disallowed in a few colleges. The Virginia Military Institute has rules that no cadet may join a secret society, and secret societies have been banned at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

from 1847 to the present, and at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

since the beginning of the 20th century. Confraternities in Nigeria are secret-society-like student groups within

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, some of which have histories of violence and

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

. The exact death toll from confraternity activities is unclear. One estimate in 2002 was that 250 people had been killed in campus cult-related murders in the previous decade,"NIGERIA: Focus on the menace of student cults"
, '' IRIN'', 1 August 2002 while the Exam Ethics Project lobby group estimated that 115 students and teachers had been killed between 1993 and 2003."Cults of violence"
, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', 31 July 2008 The Mandatory Monday Association is thought to operate out of a variety of Australian universities including the

Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military academy that provides military and Tertiary education in Australia, academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ...

. The Association has numerous chapters that meet only on Mondays to discuss business and carry out rituals. The only secret society abolished and then legalized is that of The Philomaths, which is now a legitimate academic association founded on a strict selection of its members.

Internet

While their existence had been speculated for years,

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

-based secret societies first became known to the public in 2012 when Cicada 3301 began recruiting from the public via Internet-based puzzles. The goals of the society remain unknown, but it is believed to be involved in

cryptography Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logy, -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of Adversary (cryptography), ...

Around the world

The following contemporary and historic secret societies formed in Africa, by country:

Africa

Cameroon

* Ekpe

Ghana

* Simo

Mali

* Simo

Nigeria

* Ekpe * Nze na Ozo * Ogboni * Confraternities in Nigeria

Sierra Leone

* Crocodile Society * Leopard Society * Poro * Sande society * Simo

South Africa

* Afrikaner Broederbond * Afrikanerbond

Zimbabwe

* Nyau

Asia

China

Secret societies played a major role in Chinese affairs for centuries. They were a key aspect of the Anti-Qing sentiments of the 20th century. After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, they were tacitly supported by and actively collaborated with the Nationalist government. Having played prominent roles in history, they were targeted by the anti-secret society campaigns of the newly established government of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

during the 1950s. Examples of Chinese secret societies include: * Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists * Hai San Secret Society * Red Lanterns * Red Spear Society * Tiandihui, Society of the Heaven and the Earth * Yellow Sand Society * White Lotus * Heavenly Kingdom of Everlasting Satisfaction

India

Secret societies in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

include: * Paramahansa Mandali * Abhinav Bharti

Japan

Secret societies in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

include: * Black Dragon Society * Double Leaf Society * Gen'yōsha * Green Dragon * Sakurakai

Malaysia

Secret societies in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

include: * Ang Soon Tong * Ghee Hin Kongsi * Wah Kee

Philippines

Secret societies in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

include: * La Liga Filipina * Katipunan * Order of Free Gardeners

Singapore

* Ang Soon Tong * Ghee Hin Kongsi * Salakau * Wah Kee * Freemasonary

Australia

Secret societies in Australia include: *

Odd Fellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...

* Order of Free Gardeners * Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes * Tong

Europe

Several secret societies existing across Europe, including: * Ancient Order of Freesmiths (''Freischmiede'') *

* Order of Free Gardeners * Templars of Honor and Temperance * Rosicrucianism Other organizations are listed by country.

Albania

* Black Society for Salvation * Secret Committee for the Liberation of Albania

Bulgaria

* Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee * Bulgarian Secret Revolutionary Brotherhood * Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization

Finland

* Aurora Society * Ordo Templi Orientis * Valhallaorden

France

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" * Bourbaki group * La Cagoule * Carbonari * Compagnons du Devoir * Company of the Blessed Sacrament * Ellinoglosso Xenodocheio * Hiéron du Val d'Or * Order of Free Gardeners * Order of the Solar Temple * Priory of Sion * Society of the Rights of Man

Germany

* Ancient Order of Freesmiths * Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" * Germanenorden * Illuminati * Order of the New Templars * Ordo Templi Orientis * Schnez-Truppe * Thule Society * Tugendbund * United Ancient Order of Druids

Greece

* Epsilon Team *

Ethniki Etaireia The Ethniki Etaireia () was a secret Greek nationalism, Greek nationalistic organization created in November 1894, by a number of young nationalist officers, advocates of the ''Megali Idea''. Its aim was to revive the morale of the country and prep ...

* Ordo Templi Orientis

Ireland

* Defenders * Hellfire Club * Irish Republican Brotherhood * Molly Maguires * Royal Arch Purple * Whiteboys

Italy

* Carbonari * Fascio Operaio * Knights of the Apocalypse * Propaganda Due *

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

Poland

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" * Ordo Templi Orientis * Zarzewie

Portugal

* Carbonária

Russia

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" * Lyubomudry * Ordo Templi Orientis * Petrashevsky Circle * Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Circle * Southern Society of the Decembrists * Union of Prosperity * Union of Salvation

Serbia

* Black Hand * Main Board for Serb Liberation * Ordo Templi Orientis * Serbian secret organization in eastern Bosnia * White Hand

Spain

* The Disinherited *

* Mano Negra (Black Hand) * Order of Free Gardeners * Ordo Templi Orientis * Society of the Exterminating Angel * Spanish Military Union

United Kingdom

* A∴A∴ * Bullingdon Club * Calves' Head Club * Cambridge Apostles * Confederacy * Gormogons * 5 Hertford Street * Hellfire Club * Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn * The Horseman's Word * Molly Maguires * National Action * The Night Climbers of Cambridge * The Night Climbers of Oxford * Nordic League *

* Odin Brotherhood * Order of Chaeronea *

Order of Druids Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Order of Free Gardeners * Ordo Templi Orientis * Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes * The 16' Club * The School of Night * Scotch Cattle * Sealed Knot * Tong * United Ancient Order of Druids

North America

Canada

Secret societies in Canada that are non-collegiate include: * Fenians *

* Hunters' Lodges *

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

* Order of Free Gardeners * Order of the Solar Temple * * Ordo Templi Orientis * P.E.O. Sisterhood * Tong

Cuba

* Abakuá

United States

Secret societies in the United States that are non-collegiate include: * Abakuá * American Protestant Association * Brotherhood of American Yeomen * Fenians *

* Hunters' Lodges * Knights of Columbus *

Knights of the Golden Circle The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country known as the Golden Circle (), where slavery would be legal. The country would have ...

* Knights of Liberty * Knights of Reciprocity *

* Molly Maguires *

* Order of Free Gardeners * Order of the Star Spangled Banner * The Order of the Third Bird * Tong

Mexico

* Feminine Brigades of St. Joan of Arc * El Yunque (organization)

South America

Brazil

* Shindo Renmei * Hy-Bráz Society

Opposition

The

strongly opposed secret societies, especially the Freemasons. It did relent somewhat in the United States and allowed membership in labour unions and the Knights of Columbus, but not the Masons. Some

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

s continue to forbid their members from joining secret societies in the 21st century, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Seventh-day Adventists.Ellen G. White, ''"Selected Messages Book 2"'', Chapter 13. (1958)

References

External links

Secret Societies: a very short history
– Documents of Freemasons,

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, Illuminati, Carbonari, Burschenschaften and other organizations * Stevens
The cyclopædia of fraternities (2nd ed.)
A dated review of the subject. {{Authority control Clandestine groups Clubs and societies Conspiracies

Definitions

Realms

Politics

Colleges and universities

Internet

Around the world

Africa

Cameroon

Ghana

Guinea

Ivory Coast

Liberia

Mali

Nigeria

Sierra Leone

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Asia

China

India

Japan

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Australia

Europe

Albania

Bulgaria

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Serbia

Spain

United Kingdom

North America

Canada

Cuba

United States

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Opposition

See also

References

Further reading

External links