Esotericism in Western Culture

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.

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

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

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