Method & Theory in the Study of Religion
January 21, 2026
Francesco Piraino
Abstract Occulture describes the growing presence of esotericism, occultism, magic, and spirituality in media, popular culture, and contemporary arts as part of the spiritual revolution in Western contemporary societies. The empirical study of occulture has been carried out through two main theoretical frameworks. In sociology and media studies, scholars have described the mediatization and...
July 31, 2024
Francesco Piraino
Sufism, the spiritual, mystical, and esoteric dimension of Islam, is experiencing a renewal in the 21st century. Charismatic Sufi masters have been able to revitalize their language, attracting new disciples and going beyond their cultural-geographic framework. This book describes the development of Sufism in Western Europe, particularly in France and Italy, through extended empirical research...
Sufism in Europe
July 31, 2024
Francesco Piraino
This chapter examines the “pioneers” of Sufism in contemporary France and Italy, such as the migrants coming from Algeria between the 1950s and the 1970s to France, and from Morocco in the 1990s to both France and Italy. The second “pioneers” of Sufism in Europe have been European esotericists, who were looking for a living esoteric tradition and found one in Sufism. The third “pioneers” are...
Sufism in Europe
July 31, 2024
Francesco Piraino
This chapter proposes an archeology of the category mysticism, showing its different meanings in the Christian religious context, and then in human and social sciences. It argues that despite its essentialist uses in the 20th and 21st centuries, this category can still be relevant and effective. Instead of considering mysticism as a phenomenon separated from religion, limited to the private...