Some remarks on the study of the Cultural History of Western Esotericism in Latin America

Although the history of Western esotericism in Latin America has yet to be written, methodological precautions are pertinent for this academic field. The field emerged as an academic object within history in the early 1990s and has since developed through specialized journals and three major networks of specialists: the Association for the Study of Esotericism (ASE), the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE), and the Centro de Estudios sobre el Esoterismo Occidental/UNASUR. The text signals the need for careful methodological approaches when studying Western esotericism in the Latin American context.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A comienzos de 1990, el esoterismo occidental emergió como objeto académico dentro de la Historia. Desde inicios del siglo XXI, gracias a un gran caudal de investigación, nuestro campo se desarrolló en dos aspectos: surgieron revistas especializadas y tres grandes redes de especialistas (la Association for the Study of Esotericism-ASE; el European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism-ESSWE; y, nuestro Centro de Estudios sobre el Esoterismo Occidental/UNASUR). Aunque la historia del esoterismo occidental en América Latina aún no se ha escrito, nos parece pertinente señalar algunas prevenciones metodológicas en el ámbito de este campo académico.