HRVB0105FU Esoteric Traditions: across religion, science and philosophy in European history

This course will explore Europe’s colorful landscape from antiquity to our present time with a focus on the religious ideas and traditions, which, throughout time, have been categorized as either ‘esoteric’, ‘magical’, ‘occult’, ‘mystical’ ‘irrational’ or as pure ‘superstition’, such as kabbalah, Hermeticism, alchemy, astrology, Platonism, Theosophy, occult philosophy, and ideas and traditions related to various secret societies.

The aim of this course is to analyze the historical, cultural and discursive mechanisms behind the construction of categories such as ‘the occult’ and ‘magic’ and to read these traditions and ideas into their larger historical and philosophical contexts.

Based on current research within the field, this course will historically focus on the pluralistic European religious landscape and on the role of the esoteric traditions in the many exchanges and debates that have taken place between the major religious traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The influence of and influence on the developments in science and philosophy will also be discussed, as well as the relationship between orthodoxy and heterodoxy, reuse of ideas from antiquity, and the continued influence of the pagan religions. This course will also examine the specific religious beliefs, knowledge types, polemical discourses and practices that have characterized esoteric traditions in their interaction with other traditions. Particularly how such ideas have filtered into and shaped several discourses fundamental to the emergence and development of 'the modern world'.

This module allows you to write your exam essays in a variety of relevant topics and addresses students at BA, MA and PhD levels.