Western esotericism: the new generation

Abstract

The article presents an overview of the development of research on Western esotericism in the works of the younger generation of scientists in 2010-2021, the works of E. Asprem, Y. Strube, L. Saif are primarily distinguished. At the beginning, a general outline of the current state of esotericism research is given, then the analysis of the attitude of the younger generation to the works of the classics is carried out, the criticism of the main ideas of W. Hanegraaff. Then the critique of the category of Western esotericism is analyzed on three points: the construction of categories of Islamic esotericism, the artificiality of the opposition esotericism - occultism, the construction of the term "Western esotericism". It is demonstrated that the division into ethic and emic categories actually turns out to be conditional, and the modern conceptual foundations of theories rest in the esoteric teachings of the middle of the XIX century. The critique of the concept of esotericism as rejected knowledge is analyzed separately. Then an overview of the positive program of new generation of researchers is given, in which two directions are fixed: race and gender. In conclusion, a critical examination of the pros and cons of the program of the new generation of esotericism researchers is carried out. It is concluded that the criticism of the works of the classics presented by the new generation is successful and well-founded, but the fascination with postmodern theories often reduces the novelty of their works to defending neoliberal values, multiculturalism, racial and gender equality, deconstruction of large narratives.