Arcane Worlds: New Frontiers in the Study of Esotericism

About

In this three week programme we seek to understand the interrelation between peacebuilding theory and praxis and provide a space to reflect on the professional and personal dimensions of peacebuilding. The focus will be on conflicts between social groups in various contexts such as ethnicity, nationality, gender. Throughout the course, we will make a link to the personal self: how we ourselves – as (potential) peacebuilders – relate to conflict around us. We will equip students with hands-on peacebuilding skills, including dialogue, negotiation, reconciliation and trust-building activities as well as opinion writing, ensuring they are prepared not only to understand but also to actively engage in the field of peacebuilding and to reflect on their own role within that field.

Participants will read and discuss academic sources, explore their personal involvement in intergroup conflicts and engage in a dialogue between theory-based and personal experience-based knowledge. Each day we will address a specific dimension of intergroup conflict and related directions of potential conflict engagement. We will delve into psychological and social dimensions of intergroup conflict, reconciliation and transformative justice, international relations, political and cultural identities in diverse types of contexts, conflict culture and its narratives, history and its role in identity politics, power asymmetries and gender in conflict. This interdisciplinary approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and nuances of how we can engage constructively within intergroup conflict, what practical group work is needed and how we can integrate crucial academic insights of various disciplines in that praxis

Course leader

Dr. Marco Pasi is the Director of the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents. Dr. J. Christian Greer is a scholar of esotericism specializing in the global history of psychedelic spirituality. Brennan Kettelle is a PhD researcher at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP), University of Amsterdam. Read more on our website

Target group

Level: Advanced Bachelors, Masters, PhD Researchers, Postgraduate and working professionals

Background: Any discipline with experience in studying and thinking about the occult and esoteric topics. A general interest in the humanities and social sciences are necessary

Fee info

€850 for a private room with private facilities. Housing is optional.