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Call for Articles - Special Issue of Nova Religio, on the Paranormal

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:17:09 +0100

Joseph Laycock is guest editing a special issue of Nova Religio on the paranormal and is encouraging scholars to submit articles relevant to the subject. Here is what he has to say:

In the last few years, several good books have appeared that consider so-called “paranormal” beliefs, discourses, and experiences as an object of inquiry for religion scholars. Like the category “religion,” the category “paranormal” is poorly circumscribed and may potentially include a wide milieu of supernatural and pseudo-scientific beliefs and ideas. We seek papers that address the place of paranormal discourses within the larger context of religious and cultural studies. We also invite papers on religious aspects of specific paranormal discourses such as UFOs, psychics, hauntings, etc.

Submission Guidelines
Potential authors should first review Nova Religio’s website to get a sense of the aim and scope of the journal. Authors should follow the guidelines for authors on the website for the format of the paper and its citations.

Submission queries, including abstracts, should be sent to Joseph Laycock: jlay@bu.edu. Completed articles are due August 1, 2012, and should be approximately 8,000-10,000 words including all documentation and critical apparatus. As the guest editor, I will make the initial determination about which papers are suitable for publication, and work with authors to improve their draft papers before forwarding them t

Bertrand Méheust, "Introduction to the history of modern and contemporary esoterism"

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:16:21 +0100

The Institut Métapsychique International is organizing a seminar by Bertrand Méheust (philosopher and historian of parapsychology)
on "Introduction to the history of modern and contemporary esoterism". The seminar will be in French, at IMI (Paris), the 3/4 March and 7/8 April 2012.

Bertrand Méheust, professeur de philosophie et sociologue, animera deux séminaires sur 4 week-ends de janvier à avril 2012 :

le premier sur les états modifiés de conscience et l’histoire comparée des religions

le second sur l’introduction à l’histoire de l’ésotérisme moderne et contemporain

Ces séminaires se baseront sur deux cours donnés à l’Université de Lausanne en 2010. Ils sont ouverts à tous mais le nombre de places est limité.

Prendre part à ces séminaires est une occasion unique. Membre de l’IMI depuis 1999, Bertrand Méheust est perçu à l’étranger comme un des derniers « auteurs de l’impossible »,
selon l’expression du Professeur de philosophie et de pensée religieuse, Jeffrey Krippal (2010). Connu comme théoricien en ufologie, historien et sociologue de la métapsychique
avec sa thèse Somnambulisme et Médiumnité (Les Empêcheurs de Penser en Rond, 1999), il intervient également dans le débat sur l’écologie et la politique.

Séminaire I : États modifiés de conscience et histoire comparée des religions

Le concept d’états modifiés (ou non ordinaires, ou altérés

PhD positions at the University of Gothenburg

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:26:31 +0100

Admission to Doctoral Programmes, University of Gothenburg

The Faculty of Arts announces 18 funded positions as postgraduate student in the subjects listed below. A complete application must be submitted no later than noon (12:00), Friday January 20th, 2012. The application is to be made by means of the electronic form in The University of Gothenburg’s net-based Job Application Portal, where required attachments also are to be uploaded. Instructions for applicants are here.

Final decisions about admissions will be made in May or June; all applicants will be informed. An announcement in a given subject does not entail a guarantee that anyone will be admitted within this particular subject.

Applicants must be aware that the Faculty’s principle of announcing full postgraduate positions carries with it the expectation that the postgraduate as employee will be physically present at the workplace and interacting actively with the research environment.

In order to be admitted as a doctoral student, you must have completed an undergraduate degree (First cycle) and at least one year of study at the Masters level (Second cycle). Normally the prerequisites for being admitted to a doctoral programme in a given subject include three to four terms of studies in that subject in the First and Second cycle. If you are uncertain about your qualifications, you should check with the relevant department. It is also advisable to check with the department whether i

1 Promotionsstelle "Spiritismus und Medien um 1800", Uni Fribourg

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:05:08 +0100

Ausschreibung von einer Doktorandenstelle an der Universität Fribourg / Schweiz, am Lehrstuhl für Vergleichende Religionsgeschichte und Interreligiösen Dialog

Im Rahmen eines DFG-Forschungsverbundes ist eine Promotionsstelle zum Thema „Der Spiritismus und die modernen Medien (1770-1850)“ zu besetzen. Inhalt: Die Geschichte der (technischen) Medien des 20. Jahrhunderts ist ohne den Spiritismus nicht zu verstehen, weil dessen ‚Geisterkommunikation‘ Strukturmerkmale besaß, die auch die technischen Medien denkmöglich machten (etwa: Fernwirkungen, Entmaterialisierung der Kommunikation). Im Hintergrund dieser Entwicklungen stehen anthropologische Debatten, in denen psychische Wirkungen nicht mehr externen Faktoren („Geistern“), sondern internen Faktoren („Unterbewußtsein“, „übersinnliche Erkenntnis“) zugeschrieben wurden. Die Ursprünge dieser Transformation in den Jahrzehnten um 1800 sollen in der Dissertation untersucht werden.

Aufgaben

AnchorAnchorInteresse an Themen der Geschichte esoterischer Traditionen
Anfertigung der Dissertation im Zeitraum von drei Jahren
Teilnahme an den Forschungstätigkeiten und Diskussionen im Rahmen des Lehrstuhls

Anforderungen

Geschichtswissenschaftliche Ausbildung
Umgangssprachliche Kenntnisse des Französischen
Grundkenntnisse der lateinischen Sprache
Präsenz in Fribourg

Die Laufzeit beträgt drei Jahre, Beginn: ab

2 PhD positions at the University of Amsterdam

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:41:17 +0100

University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a university with an internationally acclaimed profile, located at the heart of the Dutch capital. As well as a world center for business and research, Amsterdam is a hub of cultural and media activities. The University of Amsterdam is a member of the League of European Research Universities.

Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities provides education and research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in the field of language and culture. The Faculty is located in the center of Amsterdam and maintains close ties with many cultural institutions in the capital. Almost a thousand employees are affiliated with the faculty, and approximately 7,200 students are following the teaching programs.

The Research Institute for Culture and History (ICG) has programs in Archaeology, History, Literature, Art & Cultural Heritage, the Golden Age, and European Studies. The emphasis lies on studying European culture from a historical perspective.

History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents
The Center of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (GHF, www.amsterdamhermetica.nl) was founded in 1999 and plays a leading international role in the field. The Center is part of the Department of Art, Religion, and Cultural Sciences (KRC) and work within the context of the Program Team Religious Studies. The staff members of GHF provide a series of four modules

New MA program at the University of Groningen

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:37:49 +0200

University of Groningen MA Program, "Concealed Knowledge: Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism"

The Groningen Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies will launch a new Master program "Concealed Knowledge: Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism" (60 ECTS, entirely taught in the English language) as of the academic year 2012-13.
The one-year program consist of 3 modules, 1 tutorial/internship/additional module, and a master thesis. The modules are:

- Knowledge, Secrecy, and Revelation in Antiquity
- Medieval Mysticism, Kabbalah, and Contemporary Culture
- Modern Esotericism between East and West

All modules are characterized by an approach that is well-established in Groningen: an awareness of
(a) the historical dimension that reaches back to antiquity;
(b) the fact that religion in the West is pluralistic (including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but also pagan and other religious options); and
(c) that the notion of 'Western' must be critically engaged in terms of postcolonial debate and processes of globalization.

It is also possible to combine this program with a two-years Research Master.

For details of the program, click here.

The program "Concealed Knowledge" is not the only one that will be launched next year; there are 3 more Master programs (60 ECTS each, all of them being taught in English).

The new Master programs are:

- Religion, Conflict, and Globalization
- Religion

Call for articles: The Medieval in New Age and Neopagan Movements

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:57:41 +0200

Call for Articles: The Medieval in New Age and Neopagan Movements

Deadline: Dec 1, 2011

Call for Submissions

We welcome contributions to a collection of essays tentatively entitled “Intuiting the Past: New Age and Neopagan Medievalisms.”
Scholars of Religious Studies, Gender Studies, Art History, Music History, and Cultural Studies, as well as historians and literary critics, are particularly encouraged to contribute.

Topics may include but need not be limited to:

Appropriations of Kabbalah

Medievalism and Tarot

Hildegard of Bingen and New Age music

Neopagan and New Age Pilgrimage

Grails and femininity

Quests and masculinity

Apocalyptic visions

Christian mystics in New Age contexts

Herbal and “alternative” healing

Abstracts of approximately 500 words and a brief academic bio should be sent to Dr. Karolyn Kinane at kkinane@plymouth.edu by December 1, 2011.
Abstracts should articulate how the article will advance theoretical and cultural understandings of medievalism and/or New Age and Neopagan movements.
Acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee inclusion in the volume.

Upon preliminary acceptance, contributors will be asked to submit articles of approximately 7,000 words by August 1, 2012.
Editors reserve the right to reject articles that do not meet editorial standards. We anticipate a Fall/Winter 2013 publication date.

Dr Dee: An English Opera

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:24:55 +0200

Doctor Dee is an opera created by theatre director Rufus Norris and musician and composer Damon Albarn, and was inspired by comic book author Alan Moore. Its debut performance was at the Palace Theatre, Manchester in July 2011, as part of the 2011 Manchester International Festival. The opera is based on the life of John Dee, medical and scientific advisor to Elizabeth I.

An opera titled "Doctor Dee" was originally planned as a collaboration between Albarn, Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett and comic book author Alan Moore. Gorillaz first approached Moore in the hope that he would help them with a production based on superhero characters. Moore was not interested in this idea and instead proposed that, together, they create "an opera about magic", based on Doctor John Dee. Moore is credited for "inspiration" in the opera's official programme and his incomplete work on the opera's libretto is due to appear in an upcoming issue of literary magazine 'Strange Attractor'. In an interview in May 2011, Rufus Norris said that the production would feature Elizabethan and traditional west African instrumentation, as well as a conventional 20-piece orchestra and an on-stage performance by Albarn.

Found on Wikipedia. Click here for additional information

Call for articles: Transmutatio - la via ermetica alla felicità/ the hermetic way to happiness

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:53:28 +0200

Transmutatio: la via ermetica alla felicità/the hermetic way to happiness

The Board of Editors of the interdisciplinary journal Quaderni di Studi Indo-Mediterranei is soliciting contributions to its fifth thematic volume, scheduled to appear in 2012.
This issue will contain twelve to fifteen essays addressing the theme of transmutation in the Indo-Mediterranean world.

Common to all spiritual traditions of the Eurasian world is the tenet that a transcendental energy (nous, pneuma, spirit, light, …) confers life to matter. While exoteric understandings of the relationship between these two principles establish a divide that only an institutionalized revelation (via a prophet, redeemer) can bridge, so as to enact after-death salvation, esoteric traditions emphasize instead the transmutative power of the divine within matter as a way of achieving ultimate realization (enlightenment) by activating the visionary (enlightening) potential innate to individual and universal life.
Within the esoteric understanding, which has variously drawn upon the opus alchemicum as its source, a further divide can be noted. On the one hand we find those seeking to achieve happiness by acting on matter as an object of technical manipulation (thus inflecting the opus alchemicum in the direction of chemistry, economics, economic “speculation”). On the other hand there are those for whom ultimate realization is possible only as a manner of «trasumanar»

2011 ESSWE PhD Thesis Prize Winner

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:15:42 +0200

It is with great pleasure that we announce that the winner of the 2011 ESSWE PhD Thesis Prize is Dr Daniel Jütte of Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg.

Prof. Andreas Kilcher (ETH Zürich), Chair of the Thesis Prize Selection Committee announced Daniel's success at the recent ESSWE conference in Szeged and Daniel will now receive the €500 prize.

Daniel's thesis "Das Zeitalter des Geheimnisses. Juden, Christen und die Ökonomie des Geheimen (1400–1800)" is due to be published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht this year.

Ausführliche Informationen

Die Frühe Neuzeit war das Zeitalter des Geheimnisses. Selten zuvor und niemals danach hat es in der europäischen Geschichte eine solche Faszination für Geheimnisse und Geheimhaltung gegeben. Dennoch ist dieser Bereich der Kultur- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte bisher nur wenig erforscht. Daniel Jütte untersucht den frühneuzeitlichen Geheimnisbegriff, rekonstruiert den Markt für Geheimnisse und zeigt, dass die jüdische Minderheit auf diesem Feld eine überragende Rolle spielte. Ihre Arkankompetenz in der Alchemie, Magie, Spionage und Technologie ist dabei nur ein Beispiel. Warum galten Juden in der christlichen Mehrheitsgesellschaft als Hüter eines genuinen geheimen Wissens?
Die Studie bringt nicht nur neue Erkenntnisse für die jüdische Geschichte, sondern auch für die allgemeine Wissenschafts- und Kulturgeschichte.

Inhalt

Vorbemerkung

I. Kapitel

Director of Research, United Grand Lodge of England

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Freemasonry is a secular fraternal organisation of British origin, and the United Grand Lodge of England will be celebrating its tercentenary in 2017. Over that period, Freemasonry has spread worldwide to millions of members, from walks of life that include royalty and many other prominent figures. The international, social and ethnic diversity of its membership is represented in the extensive archive and rich collections of other materials held at Freemasons' Hall in Central London by the Library and Museum of Freemasonry.

The last decade has seen considerable growth in research on Freemasonry as a significant element in British social and cultural history. The role of the Director of Research will be twofold: first, to expand opportunities to carry out such studies by developing comprehensive databases from our historical records and by enhancing other research resources and, secondly, to encourage, facilitate and participate in specific research projects utilising those resources.

Applications are invited from candidates with demonstrable experience in the compilation and analysis of historical evidence, and its utilisation in research projects, at a seniority level comparable to that of professor. The Director of Research will be based at Freemasons' Hall, but will be expected to engage actively with the external world to develop a broad range of contacts in support of the work.

The appointment will be for an initial period of three years, with possibility of ren

ESSWE Travel Bursaries

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Guidelines for ESSWE travel bursaries
1. General aspects
1.1. A fund has been created by the ESSWE in order to assist students and/or members from economically disadvantaged countries through travel bursaries. The fund is used primarily for facilitating participation in ESSWE conferences, and secondarily for participation in ESSWE workshops and other academic activities whose purpose is in accordance with the aims and goals of the ESSWE.
1.2. If the budget of the ESSWE allows, a number of bursaries of € 300 each will be granted to applicants for participating in the regular ESSWE conference, held every two years. The remaining amount, divided into bursaries of € 200 each, will be allocated for applicants attending other workshops or conferences.
1.3. Bursaries for participating in conferences will be reserved for applicants who will present a paper. In other cases, such as workshops, active participation will be valued, but will not be a requirement.
1.4. The bursaries will be made available under the following conditions:
a) The applicant must be a paid-up member or a paid-up student member of the ESSWE.
b) The applicant must have sought funding from other sources as well, such as the applicant’s home university or national funding organizations, if available.
c) Preference will be given to students and/or full members from the former Eastern European bloc.
d) If the bursary is intended for participation in a conference, the applicant must be duly registered as a pa

INASWE: Israeli Net-Work for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Richard Kieckhefer Prize

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200

The Richard Kieckhefer Prize was established by the Societas Magica in 2009 to honor Professor Kieckhefer’s contributions to the field and his mentoring of younger scholars. It is awarded annually for an unpublished article by a recent PhD (within 2 years of graduation), in any area of the scholarly study of magic, witchcraft, or related fields, judged by the selection committee to be of outstanding quality. In exceptional cases consideration will also be given to graduate student submissions.

The prize is supported by Penn Press Journals and the Societas Magica. The winner will be announced at the Societas Magica meeting in May 2011 as well as in its newsletter and on its website. The winning entry will also be published in the journal Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft and the author will receive a cash prize of $500. Articles from all academic disciplines are welcome.

Submissions should be in English and approximately 6,000 words in length. Applicants must not have received their PhD earlier than September 2008. A committee appointed by the Societas Magica will judge the entries. It is not necessary that the prize be awarded each year.

The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2011.

Please forward an electronic version of the article (.rtf or .doc preferred) to frank.klaassen@usask.ca. In addition, please send three printed copies with a letter indicating date of past or expected reception of PhD and the granting institution to:

Frank Klaassen, Presiden

ESSWE PhD Thesis Prize

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Nominations are invited for the second biennial ESSWE PhD Thesis prize, awarded by the board of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism. The prize will be given for an outstanding European PhD thesis completed between 1 January 2009 and 1 March 2011 on any aspect of Western Esotericism (broadly conceived). The thesis may be European in the sense of having been submitted at a university in Europe, or in the sense of having been submitted by a European citizen at a university anywhere in the world. The thesis must have been approved formally by the nominee's thesis committee, but the degree need not have been formally awarded.

The prizewinner will be notified in May 2011 and will receive an award of €500 and a certificate, to be presented at the ESSWE conference in Szeged, 6-10 July 2011. The thesis will also be recommended for publication in the ARIES Book Series, though the final decision on publication will be taken by the ARIES Book Series editorial board, not the Prize Committee. If it deems that no thesis reaches an appropriate standard, the Prize Committee will not award a prize.

Nominations must be made by electronic mail to the Chair of the Prize Committee, Andreas Kilcher (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, akilcher@ethz.ch) by 1 March 2011. The nominator must be a faculty member at the institution that awards the nominee’s PhD degree, or a member of the nominee’s thesis committee. Each nominator may make only one nomination. The ap

Call for Articles: Ésotérisme et Initiation, volume 2

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Le volume 2 d'« Ésotérisme et Initiation » suivra la ligne directrice qui a fait le succès du premier volume (GRANJON, DECHARNEUX, BALZANO, NOBILIO (éds.), Ésotérisme et Initiation. Études d'épistémologie et d'histoire des religions, Fernelmont (Belgique), E.M.E., coll. « Divin & Sacré », 2010), à savoir l’interdisciplinarité et la variété des réflexions sur la notion d'ésotérisme. Les éditeurs souhaitent pour ce second volume donner un fil conducteur suggéré par la notion de « secret ».

Le concept d’ésotérisme est en effet souvent associé à l’idée d’un « enseignement caché », d’un « savoir réservé » qui instaure une distinction entre initiés et profanes. Certains auteurs (Riffard, 1990) ont parfois considéré que la présence de cette « discipline de l’arcane » était nécessaire pour que l’on puisse parler d’ésotérisme. D’autres (Faivre, 1992) ont pointé les difficultés liées à l’utilisation de ce concept dans une définition critique de l’ésotérisme en soulignant que nombre de courants ésotériques n’ont rien de « secret » dans leur mode de diffusion.

Néanmoins, l’étymologie même du mot « ésotérisme » suggère l’idée de quelque chose d’ « intérieur », de « voilé ». Dans un premier sens, le « secret » peut désigner le sens ultime d’un symbole ou d’un mythe, qui n’est accessible que par un effort personnel d’interprétation à plusieurs niveaux (une herméneutique). Le secret n’est alors qu’un autre terme pour désigner la connaissance elle-même — la « Gnose » — qui est par natur

Partington Prize 2011 - Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Partington Prize 2011

The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry has established the Partington Prize in memory of Professor James Riddick Partington, the Society’s first Chairman. It is awarded every three years for an original and unpublished essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy or chemistry. The prize consists of five hundred pounds (£500).

The competition is open to anyone with a scholarly interest in the history of alchemy or chemistry who, by the closing date of 31 December 2010 has not reached 35 years of age, or if older has completed a doctoral thesis in the history of science within the previous three years. Scholars from any country may enter the competition, but entries must be submitted in English and must not have been previously submitted to another journal. The prize-winning essay will be published in the Society’s journal, Ambix. One hard copy of the entry, word processed on one side of the paper, should be submitted, along with a copy of the entry on disc. We prefer files to be in Microsoft Word XP, if possible. Essays must be fully documented using the conventions used in the current issue of Ambix. Essays must not exceed 10,000 words in length, including references and footnotes. All entries must be submitted with a word count.

All entries should be sent to John Perkins, Hon Treasurer, Centre for Health, Medicine and Society, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, with the words “Partington Prize

Call for proposals for hosting the 2013 ESSWE conference

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Board of the ESSWE invites proposals for hosting the Fourth Biennial Conference of the ESSWE in 2013. Proposals should be emailed to the Secretary, Mark Sedgwick, mjs@teo.au.dk, by 1 June 2011, and should cover:

1. The location of the conference. What rooms would be available for large sessions and small sessions, what possibilities are there for coffee breaks and lunches and so on. Could there be special arrangements with one or more hotels to provide special rates?

2. Finances. What possibilities are there of funding to invite keynote speakers--that is, to pay for their flights and accommodation? How much, for how many speakers? What sort of fee would participants be charged?

3. Anything else of importance that would contribute to a successful conference, or be an issue that would have to be addressed.

Ortodossie ed Eterodossie in Eta Moderna

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Ortodossie ed Eterodossie in Eta Moderna
Seminario di Studi
Universita di Cagliari 11-12 March 2010

ELISABETTA GOLA
Presidente corso di laurea in Scienze della Comunicazione – Università di Cagliari
Apertura dei lavori

MICHELE CAMEROTA
Università di Cagliari
Introduzione

NICK WILDING
Georgia State University / American Academy in Rome
Heterodox Identities: Pseudonymous Publication and Natural Philosophy

FEDERICO BARBIERATO
Università di Verona
“Bis archibis chirieleison”. Circolazione di conoscenze e testi magici nella Venezia del Seicento

MARCO PASI
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Konx Om Pax: il mistero dei misteri

VENERDI 12 MARZO, h. 9,30 AULA 6

FRANCESCA CRASTA
Università di Cagliari
Introduzione

GUIDO DALL’OLIO
Università di Urbino Carlo Bo
Ortodossia ed eterodossia nell'Italia pre-tridentina

GIOVANNA GRANATA
Università di Cagliari
Come rendere ortodosse le letture dei religiosi: le biblioteche conventuali e l’Indice

MARIA PIA DONATO
Università di Cagliari
Eresie illuministiche? Scienza e Inquisizione ai tempi di Benedetto XIV

Tradizioni Filosofiche e Tradizioni Mistiche, Magiche ed Esoteriche: Modelli di Razionalita a Confronto

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

TRADIZIONI FILOSOFICHE E TRADIZIONI MISTICHE, MAGICHE ED ESOTERICHE: MODELLI DI RAZIONALITÀ A CONFRONTO

Seminario di Studi
Universita di Cagliari 17-18 March 2010

MERCOLEDÌ 17 MARZO, h. 15.30

Apertura dei lavori
MARIA TERESA MARCIALIS
Coordinatore del Dottorato in Discipline filosofiche

PIER LUIGI LECIS
Presidente del Corso di Laurea in Filosofia

h. 16:00
COORDINA MICHELE CAMEROTA Università di Cagliari

ROBERTO SIRIGU Università di Cagliari
Archeologia. Analisi del sommerso, fra suggestioni e mestiere

TIZIANA PONTILLO Università di Cagliari
“Gli dèi amano ciò che è mistico” ma gli uomini non rinunciano alla “ragione”: tendenze dell’esegesi tardo-vedica

Pausa caffè

h. 17:00
ELISABETTA CATTANEI Università di Cagliari
“Esprimere l’Ineffabile in figure”: geometria e teurgia in Proclo

FRANCESCA M. CRASTA Università di Cagliari
Filosofia naturale ed esegesi biblica in Emanuel Swedenborg

GIOVEDÌ 18 MARZO, h. 15.30

COORDINA VANNA GESSA KUROTSCHKA Università di Cagliari

RENZO RAGGHIANTI Scuola Normale Superiore
Misticismo, simbolica, mito fra Cousin e Bergson

ANDREA ORSUCCI Università di Cagliari
Magia e religiosità popolare: le discussioni in Germania fra ‘800 e ‘900

MARCO PASI Universiteit van Amsterdam
Esoterismo e modernità: il problema della politica

Discussione

Call for Articles Semeia Studies volume one

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Edited by Susanne Scholz (Perkins School of Theology/Southern Methodist University, USA) and Caroline Vander Stichele (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

A key text for Jews and Christians is Genesis 1-3, which recounts the story of the creation and of the Garden of Eden. These two episodes have had an enormous effect on subsequent Western thought in terms of the emergence (as well as the rejection) of science, attitudes towards human nature, and the construction of social and cultural norms. For this volume we are interested in papers that discuss, compare, and/or analyze esoteric readings or appropriations of Genesis 1-3 from antiquity to the present, including esoteric literatures such as the Gnostic, Dead Sea, and Nag Hammadi libraries, the Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, and Hermeticism, as well as esoteric thinkers, such as Jacob Boehme, Emanuel Swedenborg, Eliphas Lévi, Helena Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, René Guénon, etc. Possible topics include creation myths, gender, fate and free will, concepts of knowledge/wisdom/gnosis, the origin of good and evil, life and death, the idea of a “fall,” the afterlife, as well as how esoteric interpretations address issues of gender or race, as well as other social categories, and explorations of experiential esoteric approaches of Genesis 1-3. Also welcome are more theoretical-historical oriented contributions discussing the issue of how to integrate esotericism with biblical studies, as well as discussions of what has been

A new program for the academic study of esotericism and related subjects in the USA

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Title: A new program for the academic study of esotericism and related subjects in the USA

As of 2009, the Religious Studies Department at Rice University offers an area of concentration in Gnosticism, Esotericism and Mysticism (GEM) for PhD students, with graduate seminars in all three areas held on a rotating basis. For further information on the program see here: http://reli.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=284

Call for Articles: Esotericism, Religion and Politics

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We invite articles for a forthcoming book, _Esotericism, Religion, and Politics_, the third volume in the Studies in Esotericism series, this one focusing on the political implications or aspects of esoteric religious groups, figures, or movements. What are the political associations of particular figures, groups, or movements within Western esotericism? In what senses can a particular esoteric figure or movement be seen as political? Some modern authors, for instance, Julius Evola, and indeed many affiliated with Traditionalism, often are identified as politically to the Right. Is there an esotericism that lends itself to the Left? What does it mean to say that a given religious figure or group within Western esotericism is "radical"? How have charges of magical practice been allied with political accusations against minority groups, and in what ways? Are there political implications for particular variants of mysticism? We expect that articles will offer insight into the political implications of historical or contemporary aspects of Western esotericism. We anticipate that, like the previous volumes in the series, this one will be divided into thematic sections that might include "Magic," "Mysticism," "Traditionalism," or "New Religions," to give only some examples.

Articles should be submitted with endnotes, and according to the Chicago Manual of Style in most regards, and if any illustrations are proposed, they should be submitted as separate 300 dpi .tiff files.

ESSWE Thesis Prize

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0200

Robert Collis receives the ESSWE Thesis Prize for 2007-09 for an outstanding European Ph.D. thesis on Western Esotericism, “The Petrine Instauration: Religion, Esotericism and Science at the Court of Peter the Great, 1689-1725”.

Dr. Peter Forshaw Assistant Professor for History of Western Esotericism in the Early Modern Period, University of Amsterdam

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0200

Dr. Peter Forshaw has been elected as Assistant Professor for the History of Western Esotericism in the Early Modern period. He will succeed Dr. Kocku von Stuckrad who moves to the University of Groningen as Professor of Religious Studies. Dr. Forshaw's appointment at GHF will begin on september 1, 2009.

Peter Forshaw researched his doctorate in Intellectual History at Birkbeck, University of London, and was then awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship for research into the history of early modern magic. He is currently an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde, a Research Fellow in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge, and Honorary Fellow in the University of Exeter's School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and in the School of English and Humanities at Birkbeck. He is co-convenor (with Stephen Clucas) of EMPHASIS: Early Modern Philosophy and the Scientific Imagination Seminar, which has been held monthly during the academic year in the Institute of English Studies, London, since 2003, and is elected council member and webmaster of both the Society for Renaissance Studies and SHAC: The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry.

Peter's research focuses on the confluence of learned magic, science and religion in early modern Europe. At Strathclyde he has been working with Professor Jonathan Sawday on the 'Art of Fire', a project investigating the sixteenth- and sevente