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On the Construction of 'Esoteric Traditions'

Wouter Hanegraaff

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 2, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19980417 via OpenAlex

Summary

The text is a scholarly paper presented at a congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, published in a volume on Western esotericism and the science of religion. It addresses the relationship between Western esotericism and the academic study of religion, likely arguing for the recognition of esotericism as a legitimate field within religious studies or examining its historical and theoretical intersections with the discipline. The paper contributes to the discourse on how esotericism has been marginalized and how it can be integrated into the broader history of religions.

Study at a glance

Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Keywords China Hegemony Context archaeology Action physics History
Key finding The paper argues for the inclusion of Western esotericism as a significant area of study within the history of religions, challenging its historical marginalization.

Abstract

in: Antoine Faivre & Wouter J. Hanegraaff (eds.), Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion: Selected Papers presented at the 17th Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, Mexico City 1995 (Gnos­tica 2) Peeters: Louvain 1998., 11-61.

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