Explores the reception and appropriation of East Asian religious and philosophical notions, ideas, and patterns of thought within the Euro-American esoteric current from the 18th to the 21st century.
Assembling original contributions, this book is a pioneering attempt to address the Euro-American esoteric reception and appropriation of China.
Positioned between eighteenth-century's mesmerism and intersections with the modern martial arts current, the contributions specifically centre on nineteenth and early twentieth-century occult appraisals and representations. This book opens up an under-explored area of research in
the field of East–West interactions and the global history of religions.
Arvustused
This wonderful collection of essays will appeal to any historian of esotericism and new religious movements. * Nova Religio * With the blossoming of research on esotericisms global entanglements, one conspicuous lacuna has remained: the Chinese connection. Not anymore. This pioneering collection firmly establishes Euro-American engagements with China as a central and long-standing element of global esotericism. Its new vistas will shape scholarship for years to come. * Egil Asprem, Professor of the History of Religions, Stockholm University, Sweden * Esoteric fantasies and orientalist speculations about Chinese religions have played a significant role in Western cultural history, but this a topic that has hitherto been remarkably neglected by scholars. This splendid volume fills a major lacuna and will be the essential point of departure for further research. * Olav Hammer, Professor of The Study of Religions, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark * This groundbreaking volume offers a penetrating analysis of understudied or previously unknown material. Shedding new light on key dimensions of long-term global entanglements, it is a must-read for anyone interested in esotericism or the reception of Chinese culture. * Per Faxneld, Associate Professor of the History of Religions, Södertörn University, Sweden * The wide range of topics and their embedding in current debates make this anthology not only an important read for all those involved in esotericism research, but hopefully also a starting point for further engagement with this hitherto under-studied field. * Religious Studies Review *
Muu info
Explores the reception and appropriation of East Asian religious and philosophical notions, ideas, and patterns of thought within the Euro-American esoteric current from the 18th to the 21st century.
List of Contributors
China in the Euro-American Esoteric Imagination: Contouring a Lacuna, Lukas
K. Pokorny (University of Vienna, Austria) and Franz Winter (University of
Graz, Austria)
1. Daoism and Kung Fu as Occult Sciences: Historical Comparisons between
Chinese Practices and Mesmerism, Julian Strube (University of Vienna,
Austria)
2. Looking Out for Magic in Ancient China: The Yijing, Its Trigrams, and
the Figurist Tradition in Éliphas Lévi, Franz Winter (University
of Graz, Austria)
3. The Theosophical Daodejing: The Beginnings, Lukas K. Pokorny (University
of Vienna, Austria)
4. The Daoist Who Wasnt: Albert de Pouvourville, Matgioi, Nguyen Van Cang,
and the Problem of Indochinese Masters in fin de siècle Occultism, Davide
Marino (University of Vienna, Austria)
5. Turning Further East: C. H. A. Bjerregaard and the Esoteric Enthusiasm for
Daoism, Johan Nilsson (Lund University, Sweden)
6. Do What Dao Wilt: The Integration of East Asian Concepts and
Practices into Aleister Crowleys Thelema, Gordan Djurdjevic
(Independent Scholar, Canada)
7. An Exoticism of Rationality and Social Order? Examining the East-West
Binary in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Esoteric
Representations of China, Johan Nilsson (Lund University, Sweden)
8. The Archetypal Dao: A Look at C. G. Jungs Reception of Chinese Thought,
Karl Baier (University of Vienna, Austria)
9. Be Water My Friend: Esotericism, Martial Arts, and Entangled Histories,
Tao Thykier Makeeff (University of Stavanger, Norway)
Index
Lukas K. Pokorny is Professor and Chair in Religious Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria.
Franz Winter is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Graz, Austria.
