Sociology of the Occult
Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия May 13, 2018 DOI: 10.15382/sturi201770.110-125 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | The occult Western esotericism Cultic milieu Patchwork religiosity C. campbell E. tiryakian C. partridge |
| Key points | Argues that Partridge's theory of occulture, which combines the sociology of the occult with modern Western esotericism research, has heuristic value for identifying esoteric influences in popular culture and correlates with four main approaches to studying Western esotericism. |
Abstract
The paper deals with the history of the “sociology of the occult”. It examines main stages of its development exemplified by works of C. Campbell, E. Tiryakian, M. Truzzi, J. Webb. The latest expression of ideas of this school is the theory of occulture proposed by the British religious scholar and researcher of culture C. Partridge. Partridge has combined the achievements of sociology of the occult with modern theories related to the study of Western esotericism. His concept of occulture aims at the identifi cation of traces of Western esotericism in modern popular culture. This paper shows the heuristic value of the theory of occulture and analyses main forms of occulture developed under the influence of Eastern doctrines and Christian demonology. Partridge’s theory fi ts into the general context of research into Western esotericism and is related to the conception of W. Hanegraaff. In conclusion, the theory of occulture is correlated with the four main approaches to the study of Western esotericism.