ESSWE Online Lecture Series 2021
The ESSWE Online Lecture Series explores new approaches and topics of general interest in the interdisciplinary field of the study of esotericism. The aim of the online lectures is to create a new digital forum for a broad discussion of research questions on esotericism. The series starts in the spring semester 2021 and continues in the fall semester 2021 with two online lectures per semester. The series shall be continued thereafter as integral part of the activities of ESSWE.
Participation in the lecture series is free of charge, but prior registration is mandatory.
Please register by mail at
What are the Magical Papyri?
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021
Speaker: Dr. Korshi Dosoo, external pageUniversity of Würzburg
Time: Zoom Webinar start at 18:00 CEST
The Greek and Demotic magical papyri are probably the richest surviving source of information about the ritual practices of the Roman Empire, hundreds of texts attesting to the attempts of the inhabitants of Egypt to call upon the divine powers to intervene in their daily lives by cursing their enemies, attracting lovers, healing diseases, or revealing the future. Since their first publications in the 1820s, they have been the subject of many conflicting interpretations – are they the product of late antique gnostic groups, evidence of archaic survivals in classical Greek religion – or of Greek religion’s decline –or of ancient Egyptian temple rituals reinvented by entrepreneurial priests? In this talk I will discuss some of the history of their reception, exploring how scholars came to such diverse conclusions, and consider some ways in which these different readings help us to understand these complex documents.
Children of Chiliasm: Concepts of the “Child” in Contemporary Spiritual Movements, Questions of Identity, Symbolism and Ownership
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Speaker: Dr. Susan Jean Palmer, external pageMcGill University, Concordia University
Time: Zoom Webinar start at 19:00 CEST
What is the “Child” in new religious movements? This lecture explores the esoteric identities (Hanegraaff 2013) ascribed to children in NRMs, ranging from world saviour, endtime warrior, reincarnated saint, to alien hybrid babies.
Based on archival and qualitative research, this study offers an analyses of the mythopoeic models and the symbolism associated with children in spiritual communes and apocalyptic sects. It is proposed that the pure, androgynous body of the child might recall a lost Eden (Olson 2015); represent a “perfect vessel” resistant to external contamination and assimilation (Douglas 1970); or become a symbol of hope and salvation for the new millennium (Duymaer Van Twist 2015).
This study is part of the Children in Sectarian Religions and State Control research project supported by the Social Science and the Humanities Research Council of Canada (external pagehttp://spiritualchildhoods.ca)