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- Asprem, Egil, 1984-
(author)
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The Magical Theory of Politics : Memes, Magic, and the Enchantment of Social Forces in the American Magic War
- 2020
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In: Nova Religio. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690 .- 1541-8480. ; 23:4, s. 15-42
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The election of the 45th president of the United States set in motion a hidden war in the world of the occult. From the meme-filled underworld of alt-right-dominated imageboards to a widely publicized “binding spell” against Trump and his supporters, the social and ideological divides ripping the American social fabric apart are mirrored by witches, magicians, and other esotericists fighting each other with magical means. This article identifies key currents and developments and attempts to make sense of the wider phenomenon of why and how the occult becomes a political resource. The focus is on the alt-right’s emerging online esoteric religion, the increasingly enchanted notion of “meme magic,” and the open confrontation between different magical paradigms that has ensued since Trump’s election in 2016. It brings attention to the competing views of magical efficacy that have emerged as material and political stakes increase, and theorizes the religionizing tendency of segments of the alt-right online as a partly spontaneous and partially deliberate attempt to create “collective effervescence” and galvanize a movement around a charismatic authority. Special focus is given to the ways in which the politicized magic of both the left and the right produce “affect networks” that motivate political behaviors through the mobilization of (mostly aversive) emotions.
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| 3. |
- Bigliardi, Stefano
(author)
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Secret cousins : Analogies in the construction of religious authority through "science" in Maurice Bucaille and Claude Vorilhon (Raël)
- 2016
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In: Nova Religio. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690 .- 1541-8480. ; 20:2, s. 34-58
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper I discuss the work of two French authors who advocate a "scientific" exegesis of sacred scriptures: physician Maurice Bucaille (1922-1998) and religious leader Claude Vorilhon (alias Raël, b. 1946). Bucaille argues that the Qur'an's divine origin is demonstrated by its accuracy about natural phenomena and "scientific facts," whereas the Bible does not stand up to "scientific" examination. Vorilhon supposedly received a revelation regarding the creation of humanity by an alien race, the Elohim. Part and parcel of such revelation is a biblical exegesis that identifies, in numerous passages of the Old and New Testaments, allusions to the Elohim's technological interventions in the history of humanity. I argue here that despite apparent differences, these textual strategies - blending "science" and scriptures - display substantial similarities, and that they are influenced by narrative and philosophical patterns deeply rooted in French culture.
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| 4. |
- Bogdan, Henrik, 1972
(author)
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New Perspectives on Western Esotericism : Review Essay
- 2010
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In: Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. University of California Press. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690. ; 13:3, s. 97-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 6. |
- Faxneld, Per, 1978-
(author)
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Mona Lisa’s Mysterious Smile : The Artist Initiate in Esoteric New Religions
- 2016
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In: Nova Religio. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690 .- 1541-8480. ; 19:4, s. 14-32
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The article discusses the view, held by many nineteenth-century authors, of Leonardo da Vinci as an esotericist, and his La Gioconda as mysterious, sinister and filled with hidden signs. This “esoterization” of the painting and its creator was part of a broader tendency to view artists, both historical and contemporary, as magicians and mystics in some sense. Hereby, art became integrated into the endeavors of various esoteric groups and thinkers, and an originally secular Renaissance work was absorbed into a nineteenth-century “occulture” or “cultic milieu.”
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| 8. |
- Frisk, Liselotte
(author)
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Ireland's new religious movements
- 2013
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In: Nova Religio. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690 .- 1541-8480. ; 16:3, s. 110-111
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Review (other academic/artistic)
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Frisk, Liselotte, 1959-
(author)
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The Narrative of Ma Anand Sheela : Charisma and institutionalization in the Osho movement
- 2021
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In: Nova Religio. - : University of California Press. - 1092-6690 .- 1541-8480. ; 24:4, s. 41-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article will discuss charisma and institutionalization in the Rajneesh/Osho movement between 1981 and 1985, during its Rajneeshpuram, Oregon phase, based on an interview with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s former secretary, known as Ma Anand Sheela. A model by sociologist Roy Wallis with different possibilities for the charismatic leader to respond to institutionalization will be applied, and a previous application by sociologist Susan J. Palmer will be discussed. I argue that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, later known as Osho, was more active in the institutionalization of the movement than is depicted by the group, and that legal reasons may have been the motivation for both his vow of silence from 1981 to 1984 and the creation of the religion Rajneeshism in 1983.
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