Occultist identity formations between theosophy and socialism in fin-de-siècle France
Fin-de-siècle occultism is usually regarded within the context of an “occult revival” that implies the modernization of an older esoteric tradition. However, this notion is rooted in esoteric identificatory discourses at the end of the nineteenth century. This article will discuss two major aspects...
| Published in: | Numen |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2017
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| In: |
Numen
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
France
/ Europe
/ Occultism
/ Theosophy
/ Esotericism
/ Socialism
/ History 1890-1914
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| IxTheo Classification: | AZ New religious movements KBG France TJ Modern history ZC Politics in general |
| Further subjects: | B
Occultism
Theosophy
socialism
France
esotericism
politics
|
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Rights Information: | InC 1.0 |
| Summary: | Fin-de-siècle occultism is usually regarded within the context of an “occult revival” that implies the modernization of an older esoteric tradition. However, this notion is rooted in esoteric identificatory discourses at the end of the nineteenth century. This article will discuss two major aspects of these discourses. First, French esotericists polemically distanced themselves from the “Eastern” esotericism of the Theosophical Society by constructing an ésotérisme occidental. It will be shown that this separation of “East” and “West” occurred as a reaction to the T.S., and should thus be seen as a “nationalist” response to a global phenomenon. Second, another major aspect of occultist identity formations will be highlighted: socialism. It will be shown that fin-de-siècle occultists were deeply involved with socialist theories in the July Monarchy vein but ambiguously distanced themselves from contemporary “materialist” socialisms. An analysis of this context will further help to understand the construction of an esoteric tradition. |
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| Item Description: | DOI funktioniert nicht. - 29.05.2018 |
| ISSN: | 1568-5276 |
| Contains: | In: Numen
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685276-12341481 DOI: 10.15496/publikation-83236 HDL: 10900/141889 |