European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
Encyclopedia
The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) is Europe's only scholarly society for the study of Western esotericism
. Founded in 2005, the society promotes academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present, and works to secure the future development of the field.
, and an associated book series
with Brill, and also a periodic Newsletter.
(2007), Strasbourg
(2009), and Szeged
(2011).
(AAR).
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
. Founded in 2005, the society promotes academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present, and works to secure the future development of the field.
Publications
The ESSWE publishes a peer-reviewed journal, AriesAries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
, and an associated book series
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
with Brill, and also a periodic Newsletter.
International conferences
The ESSWE holds an international conference in a different European country every two years, and holds a workshop for graduate students in years in which there is no conference. Past conferences have been in TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
(2007), Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
(2009), and Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
(2011).
Other activities
The ESSWE provides various resource on its website, awards prizes and travel bursaries to recognize and encourage younger scholars, and has two regional networks, the Scandinavian Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism (SNASWE) and the Israeli Network for the Study of Western Esotericsm (INASWE).Relationships
The ESSWE is an affiliated society of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) and a related scholarly organization of the American Academy of ReligionAmerican Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
(AAR).
Current officers
- President: Wouter J. Hanegraaff (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Vice President: Jean-Pierre Brach (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, France)
- Treasurer: Demetrius Waarsenburg (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Secretary: Mark SedgwickMark SedgwickMark Sedgwick is a British/Irish historian specializing in traditionalism, Islam, Sufi mysticism, and terrorism. He is secretary of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism.-Education:...
(University of Aarhus, Denmark) - Membership Secretary: Egil Asprem (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Webmaster: Peter J. Forshaw (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Henrik Bogdan (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
- Nicholas Goodrick-ClarkeNicholas Goodrick-ClarkeNicholas Goodrick-Clarke B.A. , D.Phil. is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions....
(University of Exeter, UK) - Boaz Huss (Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel)
- Andreas Kilcher (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland)
- Birgit Menzel (Universität Mainz, Germany)
- Marco Pasi (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Gyorgy E. Szonyi (University of Szeged, Hungary)
- Helmut Zander (Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany)