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Esotericism Theorized: Major Trends and Approaches to the Study of Esotericism

Wouter J. Hanegraaff

UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) April 29, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19890676 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Citations 17
Key points Argues that secrecy in ancient religions was a social mechanism for constructing identity and authority, rather than simply concealing esoteric knowledge.

Abstract

in: April D. DeConick (ed.), Religion: Secret Religion, MacMillan 2016, 155-170.