Textbooks and introductions to Western Esotericism

This article reviews textbooks and introductions to the academic field of Western esotericism. The author compares the early 'religionist' phase to 'Western esotericism 1.0' and argues that Antoine Faivre's 1992 textbook L’ésotérisme began a more satisfactory upgrade, 'Western esotericism 2.0', which remains dominant. A critical review of representative textbooks from this second phase reveals structural problems and weaknesses that need correction for the field to reach academic maturity. To meet the needs of a new generation of scholars, the author calls for an upgrade to 'Western esotericism 3.0'.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article reviews the presently available supply of textbooks and introductions to the new academic field of study known as ‘Western esotericism’. By analogy with computer software, the author refers to the early ‘religionist’ phase of research in this domain as ‘Western esotericism 1.0’. He argues that Antoine Faivre's small French textbook L’ésotérisme (1992) marked the beginning of a more satisfactory upgrade that might be referred to as ‘Western esotericism 2.0’ and remains dominant in teaching and research today. A critical review of textbooks and introductions representative of this second phase of academic professionalisation reveals a number of structural problems and weaknesses (‘bugs and design faults’) that need to be corrected in order for the field to complete its adolescence and reach academic maturity. To accommodate the needs and new perspectives of the upcoming generation of scholars in this field, it is therefore time for an upgrade to ‘Western esotericism 3.0’.