'The Trouble with Images: Anti-Image Polemics and Western Esotericism'
2007 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004162570.i-326.34 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the Yates and Faivre paradigms privilege the imaginal over doctrinal disciplines, and that the Faivre paradigm is being replaced by a new one centered on analyzing 'othering' processes. Proposes that Western esotericism as a field is the historical product of the 'Grand Polemical Narrative'. |
Abstract
In different ways and for different reasons, the Yates paradigm and the Faivre paradigm both have the effect of privileging the "imaginal" domain over that of words, theories, and doctrines, and their attendant disciplines, such as theology or philosophy. According to the author the Faivre paradigm is now in the process of being replaced by a new one that reflects the 'widespread disaffection in contemporary intellectual life with the grand narratives of modernity and their ideological underpinnings. He suggests that the emerging research paradigm may profitably be based upon an analysis of how and why the process of "othering" has in fact occurred: The author has also argued that our present understanding of "western esotericism" as a distinct field of research is the historical outcome of what is called the "Grand Polemical Narrative".Keywords: Faivre paradigm; Grand Polemical Narrative; Western Esotericism; Yates paradigm