Hermes in the Academy: Ten Years' Study of Western Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam

Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam by Wouter J. Hanegraaff and Joyce Pijnenburg (Amsterdam University Press) In 1999, an innovative chair and expertise center was created at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam, focused on the history of Western esotericism from the Renaissance to the present. The label "Western esotericism" refers here to a complex of historical currents such as, notably, the Hermetic philosophy of the Renaissance, mystical, magical, alchemical and astrological currents, Christian kabbalah, Paracelsianism, Rosicrucianism, Christian theosophy, and the many occultist and related esoteric currents that developed in their wake during the 19th and the 20th centuries. This complex of "alternative" religious currents is studied from a critical historical and interdisciplinary perspective, with the intention of studying the roles that they have played in the history of Western culture.In the past ten years, the chair for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents has succeeded in establishing itself as the most important center for study and teaching in this domain, and has strongly contributed to the establishment of Western esotericism as a recognized academic field of research. This volume is published at the occasion of the 10th anniversary. It contains a history of the creation and development of the chair, followed by articles on aspects of Western esotericism by the previous and current staff members, contributions by students and Ph.D. students about the study program, and reflections by international top specialists about the field of research and its academic development.

I appreciated the work it took to develop the criteria for the academic study of Western Esotericism and the establishment of the Chair at the University.