Hidden presence: race and/in the history, construct, and study of western esotericism

Summary

Race has been largely overlooked in the study of Western esotericism, despite a few studies linking esoteric ideas to white supremacy. This article argues that race has operated as a 'hidden presence' shaping both the historical formation of the field and the concept of Western esotericism itself, serving as a subtext for its dominant narrative. The author calls for continued investigation into the entanglements of 'Western' and whiteness, even as scholars move beyond the West.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Except for a few studies that explore the intersections between esoteric ideas/practices and white supremacy, race has largely been ignored in the field of Western esotericism. This article seeks to partake in remedying this lacuna. To do so, it provides a deconstructive analysis of the way race has operated in the field. I argue that race, although consistently overlooked, has functioned as a ‘hidden presence’ that has shaped both the historical formation of the field and the construct of Western esotericism – so much so, in fact, that we may conceive it as a subtext in and for the dominant ‘grand narrative’ of Western esotericism. In conclusion, I investigate recent attempts to omit ‘Western’ as a definitive adjective in the study of esotericism, thereby proposing that, even as we move ‘beyond the West,’ we must also continue to investigate the entanglements of ‘Western’ and whiteness.