25 | Occult South Asia: Rethinking the History of Modern South Asian Religions and Spiritualities Through the Lens of Esotericism Research and Vice Versa
The panel aims to discuss the entangled history and mutual transformation of modern Indian religions and spiritualities and esoteric/occult currents with a mostly Euro-American background.
Convenors:
· Karl Baier Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
Timeslots:
· 07/27 | 13:30-15:00 UTC+2/CEST
· 07/27 | 15:30-17:00 UTC+2/CEST
Long Abstract
The panel will focus on the cross-cultural encounters in the modern times between South Asian religions and cultural currents of Europe and the USA which are usually labeled as esotericism or occultism. Intense research over the past decades has shown the historical significance of the hybridization that took place through the mutual influence of both cultural spheres upon each other. The impact can be noted in currents such as the Bengal renaissance and Neo-Hinduism in general; theosophy; freemasonry; mesmerism; spiritualism; modern magic; Wicca; astrology in India and abroad; New Age practices and various forms of tantra as well as modern yoga. The resultant transculturation had serious implications in South Asia as well as within the global intellectual and religious history. Consequently, both the fields of South Asian studies and the study of esotericism need to mutually influence each other thus creating the highly interdisciplinary field of Occult South Asian studies. This emerging area of research inspires the expansion of the disciplinary boundaries of both South Asian Studies as well as the research on esotericism and occultism. Paper proposals with a focus on the intersection, integration, and appropriation of Indian religious and spiritual currents and modern esoteric movements and ideas, are welcome. This panel will be a continuation of the Occult South Asia workshop (Vienna, 2018), Psychedelic South Asia panel (ESSWE7 conference in Amsterdam, 2019) and the Occult South Asia book project (forthcoming). It aims to strengthen the Occult South Asia Network (OSAN).
Presentations
-
07/27 | 11:00-11:20 UTC+2/CEST
Despatialization: Offering a New Theoretical Approach for Understanding Occult South Asia (Mriganka Mukhopadhyay) -
07/27 | 11:20-11:40 UTC+2/CEST
Where Japan's Mediumship Intersected Western Occultism (Toshio Akai) -
07/27 | 11:40-12:00 UTC+2/CEST
Tantra in Modern Bengal From the Perspective of a Global Religious History (Julian Strube) -
07/27 | 12:00-12:20 UTC+2/CEST
Mystical Ontology or the Lack Thereof: A Hermeneutical Critique of Agehananda Bharati's Conceptualization of Mysticism (Christopher Helton) -
07/27 | 13:30-13:50 UTC+2/CEST
“Mothers of the Daughters of Ceylon”: Marie Musaeus Higgins’ and Miranda Canavarro’s Theosophical Feminism (Jessica Albrecht) -
07/27 | 13:50-14:10 UTC+2/CEST
‘The Delights of Samādhi:’ Alexandra David-Neel, Haṭha Yoga and Occult South Asia (Samuel Thévoz) -
07/27 | 14:10-14:30 UTC+2/CEST
The Myth of the Theons: Constructions and Deconstruction of the Image of Two European Occultists (Peter Heehs) -
07/27 | 14:30-14:50 UTC+2/CEST
The 'Mystic East' and Psychedelics: Soma/Haoma and Complex Plant Formulas in Ancient Asia (Matthew Clark) -
07/27 | 15:30-15:50 UTC+2/CEST
The Occult in Modern Yoga: The Latent Light Culture and Yogic Breath Cultivation (Prāṇāyāma), 1905-1935 (Magdalena Kraler) -
07/27 | 15:50-16:10 UTC+2/CEST
Kuṇḍalinī Rising. the Initial Theosophic Examination of the Tantric Concept of Kuṇḍalinī. (Marleen Thaler) -
07/27 | 16:10-16:30 UTC+2/CEST
Yoga and Magic in the Work of Henri Clemens Birven (Karl Baier) -
07/27 | 16:30-16:50 UTC+2/CEST
“My Spirit Seemeth”: Śrī Sabhāpati Svāmī’s Refutation of the Lotus-Kingdoms (Keith Cantu)