50 research outputs found
Introduction:Religious Dimensions of Conspiracy Theories
In this introduction to Religious Dimensions of Conspiracy Theories, the editors explain the rationale for the book and introduce a set of definitions and methodological principles for the study of conspiracy theories and religion. In order to better understand both the continuities and discontinuities between old and new forms of conspiracy theories, especially as they connect with âreligionâ, âmagicâ, and âthe occultâ, the introduction advocates a historical and comparative approach operating in dialogue with disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, media studies, and psychology. It also provides a short introduction to the bookâs chapters, which include cases spanning from the 2nd century BCE to the present day and locations as diverse as Zambia, Japan, Italy, and Norway
Magic naturalized? Negotiating science and occult experience in Aleister Crowley's scientific illuminismns l'illuminisme scientifique d'Aleister Crowley
La Magie "naturalisĂ©e"? De la nĂ©gociation entre science et expĂ©rience occulte dans lâilluminisme scientifique dâAleister Crowley. Lâune des questions centrales qui se posent en matiĂšre dâĂ©sotĂ©risme occidental moderne porte sur lâattrait persistant de la magie; comment la magie a-t-elle survĂ©cu au "dĂ©senchantement du monde"? Une explication tentante a Ă©tĂ© que lâĂ©mergence de la "magie occultiste", fondĂ©e sur les Ă©crits dâEliphas LĂ©vi (1810-1875) et les enseignements de lâOrdre HermĂ©tique de la Golden Dawn (crĂ©Ă© en 1888) en particulier, ont eu pour effet une "psychologisation" de la magie. Le fait dâinterprĂ©ter les pratiques magiques comme des techniques psychologiques, et le commerce avec des entitĂ©s Ă©sotĂ©riques comme une manipulation dâĂ©tats intĂ©rieurs, psychologiques, plutĂŽt que comme un commerce avec des ĂȘtres spirituels existant rĂ©ellement, a permis Ă des modernes possĂ©dant une bonne culture et appartenant Ă une classe supĂ©rieure Ă la classe moyenne, de maintenir Ă la fois leur croyance Ă la magie, et leur intĂ©gritĂ© rationnelle. En prĂ©sentant une Ă©tude de cas, celui dâun des occultistes modernes ayant exercĂ© le plus dâinfluence, Ă savoir Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), cet article cherche Ă montrer que "la thĂšse de la psychologisation" ne rĂ©siste pas entiĂšrement Ă lâexamen. Feront lâobjet dâune mention particuliĂšre le systĂšme magique de Crowley, prĂ©sentĂ© comme un "Illuminisme scientifique", ainsi que le rĂŽle et Ă lâattrait de la science dans ce systĂšme. Contrairement Ă la thĂšse de la psychologisation, laquelle, comme on en traitera, reprĂ©sente une sorte dâ "escapisme psychologique", Crowley ne cherchait pas Ă dissocier ses croyances magiques de ses croyances rationnelles en les faisant passer dans le champ de la psychologie et des Ă©tats intĂ©rieurs; au lieu de cela, influencĂ© quâil Ă©tait par les idĂ©aux du naturalisme scientifique il a cherchĂ© Ă concevoir une mĂ©thode naturaliste permettant de critiquer, de tester et de raffiner rationnellement la pratique magique. En somme, on sâattachera Ă montrer que le systĂšme de Crowley reprĂ©sente un pas en direction de la naturalisation plutĂŽt que vers la psychologisation de la magie. On prĂ©sentera une lecture serrĂ©e de certaines des idĂ©es de Crowley portant sur le rapport entre science et magie, et on procĂ©dera aussi Ă une contextualisation historique dans laquelle on sâattachera spĂ©cialement Ă traiter des rapports entretenus par Crowley avec des courants intellectuels marquants au sein desquels on sâintĂ©ressait Ă cette question (notamment, la Society for Psychical Research, Sir James Frazer, ainsi que des philosophes naturalistesâde T.H. Huxley Ă Henry Maudsley)
[Review of: T. AhlbÀck, B. Dahla (2008) Western esotericism: based on papers read at the Symposium on Western esotericism, held at à bo, Finland on 15-17 August 2007]
[Review of: H. Wolffram (2009) The stepchildren of science: psychical research and parapsychology in Germany, c. 1870-1939]
Heathens up North: politics, polemics, and contemporary Norse paganism in Norway
The variety of religious positions commonly grouped together under the heading "Neo-Paganism" call for no homogenous reading of that phenomenon. As recent research on contemporary forms of paganism has flowered in recent years, emphasis has been given to the nuances and complexities of this kind of new religious currents. For instance it is clear that contemporary pagan currents, such as Wicca, ĂsatrĂș, and Roman paganism, tend to vary significantly between themselves on matters of theology, sociological profile, and political tendencies. While varieties in the social manifestations of given groups can be partly explained by diverging religious/ideological content, it also holds true that ideological formations will be determined in part by the society in which they emerge. This means that a contemporary pagan current such as "ĂsatrĂș" is not necessarily describable as one single tendency on a global scale, but will unavoidably be shaped by local conditions. Thus varieties within currents will tend to follow national and geographical borders, being always locally situated, and adapted to local political, social, and religious conditions. This article discusses the emergence and development of contemporary Norse paganism in Norway in light of the abovementioned framework. Special notice is given to the interplay between public discourses on issues such as paganism, the occult, neo-Nazism, and the relationship between the church and state in Norway, and the self-fashioning of reconstructionist Norse pagans. Through a partial comparison with the thoroughly discussed American context of contemporary Norse religion an argument is advanced that Norwegian ĂsatrĂș came to bear certain distinct marks that are due to and only explicable by specific, local cultural conditions