This paper traces the development of the sociology of the occult through the works of C. Campbell, E. Tiryakian, M. Truzzi, and J. Webb, culminating in C. Partridge's theory of occulture. Partridge merges earlier sociological insights with modern Western esotericism research to identify traces of esoteric traditions in popular culture. The theory is linked to W. Hanegraaff's work and is evaluated against four main approaches to studying Western esotericism. The paper demonstrates occulture's heuristic value by analyzing forms influenced by Eastern doctrines and Christian demonology.
The article applies the Birmingham school's methodology for studying cultural products to Western esotericism, focusing on the extreme right spectrum. It examines the myth of an esoteric or alien origin of the Third Reich, popularized after the 1950s by authors such as W. Landig and M. Serrano. From the 1960s, these ideas spread beyond esoteric circles into popular fiction, later becoming common in films and computer games. The author shows how a myth initially aimed at a narrow circle of adepts transformed into part of mainstream culture, illustrating the complex process of assimilation by popular culture of myths born in esoteric milieus.