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Call for Papers Theme: Western Esotericism and the East Type: 5th International ESSWE Conference Institution: European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) Latvian Society for the Study of Religion University of Latvia Daugavpils University Location: Riga (Latvia) Date: 16.–18.4.2015 Deadline: 1.12.2014 __________________________________________________ Current understandings of esotericism as a predominantly Western, European and North-American, phenomenon are by no means self-evident. By placing “the East” at the center of attention, this conference intends to put a range of important issues on the agenda, for instance: - the relevance of esotericism to questions of European / Western identity, with special attention to the “orientalism”/”occidentalism” debate; - the notion of “Wisdom from the East”, from antiquity to the present; - esotericism in the contested boundary areas between “West” and “East”, notably Russia, Byzantium, and Israel; - the impact of Jewish and Islamic culture on key dimensions of Western esotericism such as alchemy, astrology, and natural magic; - the interchange between religions of the Far East such as Hinduism, Buddhism, or Daoism and Western esotericism/occultism since the 18th century and after World War II; - the role of esotericism in comparative religion; - East-West distinctions in the light of globalization and globalization of esotericism. Presentations should last 20 minutes with 10 minutes for discussion. Papers are invited in English. Keynote Speakers: - Wouter J. Hanegraaff (University of Amsterdam) - Allison P. Coudert (University of California, Davis) - Charles Burnett (Warburg Institute, University of London) Important dates: - Submission of session/panel proposals - October 10, 2014 (extended to December 1, 2014) - Submission of proposals for papers – October 10, 2014 (extended to December 1, 2014) - Notification of acceptance – November 1, 2014 (extended to December 15, 2014 for those who submit proposals by extended date) - Early payment of the conference fee – December 1, 2014 (for all to January 31, 2015) - The final program – February 1, 2015 (extended to March 1, 2015) Proposals for both session/panel and for individual papers (the Registration Form) should be sent to Anita Stasulane: [email protected] Conference website: http://www.esswe.org/#p/esswe-5-2015.html __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
