Esotericism in Western Culture

Counter-Normativity and Rejected Knowledge

Professor Wouter J. Hanegraaff (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
29 May 2025

Christian & quasi-Christian cults & sects

This accessible introduction by the world’s leading expert explains why the study of esotericism is not a marginal pursuit but belongs at the center of modern research in the humanities. Reflecting updates in the field since the foundational publication Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed (2013), Wouter J. Hanegraaff

demonstrates that the exclusion of “rejected knowledge” from normative accounts of Western civilization is the reflection of a narrow Eurocentric ideology that became the template for discrediting and ultimately destroying so-called “primitive” cultures associated with “superstition” and “pagan idolatry” during the global colonial age.

Rejecting this “rejection of rejected knowledge” means restoring the suppressed to its legitimate place in history and cultural analysis. Through this approach, Wouter J. Hanegraaff depicts a radically inclusive vision of the Greater West and its forgotten histories, from pagan antiquity through Jewish, Christian, and Islamic cultures up to secular modernity and beyond.

By: Professor Wouter J. Hanegraaff (University of Amsterdam the Netherlands)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781350459694
ISBN 10: 1350459690
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 29 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Preface to second edition 1. What do we mean by esotericism 2. A brief historical overview 3. Apologetics and polemics 4. Worldviews 5. Knowledge 6. Practice 7. Modernization 8. Between the disciplines 9. Sources and resources 10. The future of esotericism Index

Wouter J. Hanegraaff is Professor of the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Reviews for Esotericism in Western Culture: Counter-Normativity and Rejected Knowledge

If you decide to read just one book about esotericism, this should be the one. Hanegraaff is the leading world specialist in all things esoteric. * Massimo Introvigne, Center for Studies on New Religions, Italy * Esotericism in Western Culture is an outstanding guide for anyone venturing into the multifaceted world of esotericism. With its well-organized structure and clear, accessible writing, this book offers both students and scholars a comprehensive introduction to the field. * Henrik Bogdan, University of Gothenburg, Sweden * Esotericism in Western Culture is a repository of treasures. Around the encyclopedic history of esotericism that is central to the book lie fascinating discussions of related issues, exoteric as well as esoteric. Both a journey of exploration and a reference work, this book is clearly written and extremely readable. * Mark Sedgwick, Aarhus University, Denmark * Hanegraaff is our most reliable and erudite guide into esoteric thought and rejected knowledge, here made even more pressing through the concept of counter-normativity. Taken as a whole, this book is a telling answer to Rainer Maria Rilke’s pained and poetic question at the very beginning, “Is it possible that nothing true and important has been seen, recognized and said?”. * Jeffrey J. Kripal, Rice University, USA *