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Who Rules America: Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove

whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu · 18,333 words · saved by 1 readers

The Bohemian Grove is a 2,700-acre virgin redwood grove in Northern California, 75 miles north of San Francisco (map), where the rich, the powerful, and their entourage visit with each other during the last two weeks of July while camping out in cabins and tents. It's an Elks Club for the rich; a fraternity party in the woods; a boy scout camp for old guys, complete with an initiation ceremony and a totem animal, the owl. It's owned by the Bohemian Club, which was founded in San Francisco in 1872. The Bohemians started going on their little retreat shortly after the club was founded; it became big-time by the 1880s, and it continues today. However, it is not a place of power. It's a place where the powerful relax, enjoy each other's company, and get to know some of the artists, entertainers, and professors who are included to give the occasion a thin veneer of cultural and intellectual pretension. Despite the suspicions of many on the Right, and a few on the Left, it is not a secret me

Who Rules America: The Bohemian Grove & Social Cohesion Home About Bill Domhoff Domhoff's lecture videos Info for students & professors using Who Rules America? Power in America Diversity in the Power Elite Power at the Local Level Studying Power Power Elite Database Social Science & Social Change Theories of Power Santa Cruz: The Leftmost City New or Updated Are White Males Making a Comeback In Corporate America? (February 2026) Diversity is Not Enough: The Ironies of Trump's Second Cabinet (July 2025) Bill Domhoff awarded a Dickson Emeriti Professorship (June 2024) Domhoff interview on power

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