Esotericism in New Religious Movements
Oxford University Press eBooks September 2, 2009 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195369649.003.0020 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Proposes that Western esotericism can be defined by five characteristics—social formations, rituals, purported objectives, cognitive style, and relations to mainstream society—and uses this framework to analyze groups and movements, arguing that esotericism incubated later movements like Neopaganism and the New Age. |
Abstract
Abstract The study of Western esotericism has come into its own in recent years. Because this tradition incubated a number of more recent movements—from Neopaganism to the New Age—contemporary studies of esotericism overlap studies of these related phenomena. This article articulates a concept of esotericism based on five characteristics: social formations, rituals, purported objectives, cognitive style, and relations to mainstream society. It then analyzes a number of groups and movements exhibiting these characteristics.