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Friday, 20 October 2023

Blavatsky and recent academic publications

I'm not really academically minded, and I certainly don't cover the academic scene as thoroughly as the previous Blavatsky News, but I do what I can.
Since the last book that I covered was from 2019, I do believe that I have some catching up to do. I think I can safely say that Blavatsky and theosophy are still going strong in the academic scene, there's still a healthy interest and vitality present and the depth and quality of research continues to improve. This list below is by no means comprehensive, simply a random compilation of works that I noticed in my various readings.
 
Has 2023 been the year where Blavatsky made a breakthrough in terms of recognition as important philosophical thinker? There have been precedents, but it's been a good year for Blavatsky in philosophy.
1-The Oxford Handbook of American and British Women Philosophers in the Nineteenth Century
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky: Blavatsky’s Place in the History of Philosophy
Tim Rudbøg 2023
engaged with philosophers, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Leibniz, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Spencer
2- Women Philosophers in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Alison Stone 2023
Develops ideas on Blavatsky and Besant present in journal article below.
 
Later Nineteenth-Century Women Philosophers on Mind and Its Place in the World 
Having received the hylo-idealists’ materials, Blavatsky singled out Naden’s writing for its “extremely attractive” style and published Naden’s short atheist piece “Autocentricism” (signed “C. N.”), plus two hylo-idealist letters, from Lewins and George McCrie. But, signing herself “The Adversary,” Blavatsky appended a critique of hylo-idealism, to which in fact she had already noted her objections in late 1887 when she read Naden’s “What Is Religion?”
 
Nice work. 15 papers that examine many facets of the TS relation to Hinduism and Buddhism mainly.

3- Imagining the East: The Early Theosophical Society 
 
Very interesting work. 13 papers cover a worldwide study of Theosophical influence.
4- Theosophy across Boundaries Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on a Modern Esoteric Movement 
 
A quantum leap in Tantra history, with much on role of Theosophical Society, essential reading for the modern Yoga history field

 5
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Global Tantra
 
Good study, chapters 4 & 5 on theosophy. Since the previous work on this didn't include theosophy, a good ice-breaker
6- The Subtle Body: A Genealogy 
https://academic.oup.com/book/38999?login=false
 
11 articles, from medieval period to modern times, 3 specific theosophical papers
7- Innovation in Esotericism from the Renaissance to the Present
Palgrave Macmillan  2021
Editors: Georgiana D. Hedesan, Tim Rudbøg
Psychic Disciplines: The Magnetizer as Magician in the Writings of Jules Dupotet de Sennevoy (1796–1881)
Jean-Pierre Brach Pages 185-200
 
 
 Julie Chajes Pages 229-254
 
 Jeffrey D. Lavoie Pages 255-279
 
Cosmopolitan Religious Movements from 1875 to the Interwar Era
This book provides a comparative analysis of cosmopolitan (esoteric) religious movements, such as Theosophy, Groupe Independent des Études Ésotériques, Anthroposophy, and Monism, in England, France, Germany, and India during the late nineteenth-century to the interwar years. Despite their diversity, these factions manifested a set of common features—anti-materialism, embrace of Darwinian evolution, and a belief in universal spirituality—that coalesced in a transnational field of analogous cosmopolitan spiritual affinities. Yet, in each of their geopolitical locations these groups developed vastly different interpretations and applications of their common spiritual tenets
 
8 papers, at least three dealing with theosophy
9-   Occult Roots of Religious Studies 2021
On the Influence of Non-Hegemonic Currents on Academia around 1900
Edited by: Yves Mühlematter and Helmut Zander Volume 4 in the series Okkulte Moderne
  Jens Schlieter

 
 
Fun look at very contemporary, topical questions
10- Hermes Explains Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism
Edited by: Wouter Hanegraaff , Peter Forshaw and Marco Pasi
Egil Asprem Antoine Faivre Christine Ferguson Joscelyn Godwin Boaz Huss Massimo Introvigne 
 
11 papers that cover multi-cultural topics worlwide
11- New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism
Volume Editors: Egil Asprem and Julian Strube
 
Good study on relatively neglected early twentieth-century period of theosophy. Good coverage of The Voice of the Silence and T. Subba Row.
12- Annie Besant’s Pedagogy and the Creation of Benares Hindu University
Yves Mühlematter 2022
Volume 6 in the series Okkulte Moderne
 
PS- 
Musicology of Religion Theories, Methods, & Directions
Guy L. Beck SUNY series in Religious Studies 368 pp, 2023 
Blavatsky, early TS, could be credited much more, but very good, very theosophical approach, esoteric aspect, east/west comparative included
 
 

1 comment:

  1. You certainly could be 'academic minded' - it may help counter the increasing scrutiny from the Academy. Very stimulating posts as usual.

    App, Urs. 2023. Blavatsky on Buddhism: Interviews, Letters, and Papers. Universitymedia: Switzerland.
    If you search Urs App, you find his other article on HPB and her Tantra.
    (If the TS cannot counter him, we are consigning ourselves to the category of 'religion').

    Lane, David C. 2022. The Sound Current Tradition. CUP: Cambridge.
    In the Nada / Shabd practice traditions. Small section on the Voice.
    (We only seem to have mention of it in a book (the Voice). Unless you know of a practice tradition on nada yoga in the TS?)

    Cantu, Keith Edward. Here is link to his PHD on Sabapathy Swami.
    (his phd is published by Brill, but is very expensive)
    Yes, friends, everyone knows about 'head centre' meditations and is doing them. If anyone knows of an active tradition within the TS who is working practically on head centre meditations let me know.
    https://escholarship.org/content/qt48v5t1bc/qt48v5t1bc_noSplash_dd22b67be3c24827002ed161ffb7fbaf.pdf

    People can make of them what they will.

    Dewald

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