“That I Did Love the Moor to Live with Him”: Islam in/and the Study of “Western Esotericism”

The article argues that the field of 'Western esotericism' is built on a narrative that marginalizes non-Western traditions, particularly Islam, despite deep historical entanglements. It traces the genealogy of the West-versus-East divide, highlighting how orientalist perspectives and perennialist sources, especially Henry Corbin's work, have sanitized Islam's role. The author recommends a reflective global approach that recognizes non-Western agency in the globalization of values and concepts. Additionally, the article asserts that Islamic esotericism (bāṭiniyya) has existed since at least the ninth century, with connections to currents in Western esotericism through Traditionalists and Sufism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In recent years, the field of “Western esotericism” has been confronted by problems related to the cultural and regional demarcations it has adopted. This field is based on a longue durée narrative that underplays non-“Western” currents, including ones which, through appropriation or reactions to them, constitutedmajor sources for it. One of themost immediate arguments against the use of the qualifier “Western” and an essentialized “West” is European entanglements with Islamdom. This article tackles the ambiguous place given to Islam in the narrative of “Western esotericism” and the wider intellectual and historical complex that feeds the exclusionary tendencies expressed by the “Western” in “Western esotericism.” It begins by providing a historical background of the West versus East divide in order to grasp the genealogy of the discourse and locate the problems resulting from an esotericism labelled as “Western.” Two major components of this narrative within which Islam is usually evoked are then highlighted: first, the sanitization of orientalist perspectives, and, second, the reliance on perennialist sources, especially the writings of Henry Corbin. Finally, the article recommends, on one level, a reflective global approach that takes into account the agency of non-Western actors in the globalization of values and concepts in modern and pre-modern eras, thus allowing us to engage in more suitable comparative practices in the study of esotericism. On another level, I have argued elsewhere that an Islamic esotericism (bāṭiniyya) has a long history dating back to the ninth century at least, based on principles, epistemological paradigms, and social orientations, conceptualized and negotiated (Saif, 2019). I demonstrated there, as I do here, that this esotericism had—and still has—connections with the currents discussed in the study of “Western esotericism,” especially through the Traditionalists and Sufism.