2017/09/28 by Julian Strube · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices #Jungian Analytical Psychology #Historical and Literary Studies
paper · doi:10.1163/15685276-12341481
openalex publication_date 2017/09/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Abstract 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.