XIII International conference
“Mystical and Esoteric Movements in Theory and Practice: HUMAN AND SOCIETY IN MYSTICISM AND ESOTERICISM”
June, 29 – July, 1, 2023
online & offline
Saint Petersburg
online & offline
Saint Petersburg
XIII International conference
“Mystical and Esoteric Movements in Theory and Practice: HUMAN AND SOCIETY IN MYSTICISM AND ESOTERICISM”
June, 29 – July, 1, 2023
online & offline
Saint Petersburg
online & offline
Saint Petersburg
The interest for the human has always been at the core of mystical and esoteric teachings. What is human’s true nature? What is his or her relation to the non-material world? What transformation awaits the human on a mystical path? Such questions were asked by esotericists of all times. Some esoteric views on the human could become part of certain cultural mainstreams, but more often they remained the legacy of small milieux. The image of a perfect human who had ventured the mystical ascent found its expression in esoteric texts and in art inspired by such texts. These views were never static, but were in the constant process of development, in line with their own times or contrary to their current.
Most mystical and esoteric teachings also ponder on the structure of society humans live in. Esotericists and mystics rant against contemporary social and political institutions, and picture utopian panoramas of the ideal society, which had existed in the past, or awaits us in future, a society, where humans will live in harmony with others, with nature, and with the divine. Not unfrequently such ideas find their expression in secret societies, communes or even states, built along the lines drawn by some spiritual teacher or a prophet.
Most mystical and esoteric teachings also ponder on the structure of society humans live in. Esotericists and mystics rant against contemporary social and political institutions, and picture utopian panoramas of the ideal society, which had existed in the past, or awaits us in future, a society, where humans will live in harmony with others, with nature, and with the divine. Not unfrequently such ideas find their expression in secret societies, communes or even states, built along the lines drawn by some spiritual teacher or a prophet.
The aims of the conference are:
— to look into the spectrum of the ideas concerning humans and society in esoteric and mystical movements in all their diversity;
— to evaluate the place of such ideas among the various forms of human thought;
— to assess the degree of their similarity and dissimilarity with the ideas concerning human and society found in religion, philosophy and the academy.
Participation in the conference may be of interest to anthropologists, literary scholars, philosophers, historians, students of religion, psychologists, and, of course, scholars of esotericism.
— to look into the spectrum of the ideas concerning humans and society in esoteric and mystical movements in all their diversity;
— to evaluate the place of such ideas among the various forms of human thought;
— to assess the degree of their similarity and dissimilarity with the ideas concerning human and society found in religion, philosophy and the academy.
Participation in the conference may be of interest to anthropologists, literary scholars, philosophers, historians, students of religion, psychologists, and, of course, scholars of esotericism.
Some topics to be discussed at the conference:
— humans and their place in the universe according to mystical and esoteric teachings of the East and West;— hidden human abilities as seen by esotericism and mysticism;
— historical transformations of the ideas regarding humans and society in esotericism and mysticism;
— ideal society as seen by the mystics;
— ideas concerning humans and society in modern esotericism;
— esoteric anthropology and sociology;
— human evolution according to esoteric teachings;
— ideas of politics and political power in esoteric teachings;
— sociology of secret societies;
— social and political view of the Eastern mystical teachings.
Working languages of the conference: Russian, English.
Applications for participation in the conference as speakers (and also for organization of round tables) are filled on the website https://aiem-asem.org/conferences prior to April, 15, 2023.
The application does not insure the automatic inclusion of a presentation into the conference program. The organizing committee reserves the right to request additional materials from the applicants in order to clarify information about the presentation. The organizing committee will make a decision concerning an application in a week after the submission deadline, and will be communicated to applicants via e-mail.
The program will be prepared and spread among the speakers before the start of the conference with data concerning the participants and summaries of their presentations.
The speakers will be charged an admission fee of:
— 750 rubles for ASEM members;
— 1500 rubles for non-ASEM members.
The visitors will be charged 500 rubles.
In a letter to the organizing committee, visitors must indicate their full name, form of attendance at the conference (online or offline), city and country of residence, and in case of remote attendance, also their nickname in the zoom system.
For questions regarding the transfer of payment, speakers and visitors should contact the secretary of the conference organizing committee at esoterra.asem@gmail.com in advance.
The committee plans to publish the materials of the conference in a collective monograph indexed in RISC (Russian Index of Scientific Citation). Participants are free to submit papers up to 25.000 characters before August 31, 2023.
Author guidelines will be distributed after the conference. Participation in a conference as speaker is required for inclusion of the paper in the monograph.
Travelling costs in case of visiting speakers is not covered by the conference organizers.
If you have any questions, please, e-mail to esoterra.asem@gmail.com.
Organizing committee: Sergey V. Pakhomov (Chair), Igor N. Zaitsev, Birgit Menzel, Semen S. Petrukhin, Yu. V. Sergievskaya
The conference will take place at Russian Christian Academy for Humanities, Saint Petersburg, Fontanka embankment, 15.
The committee plans to publish the materials of the conference in a collective monograph indexed in RISC (Russian Index of Scientific Citation). Participants are free to submit papers up to 25.000 characters before August 31, 2023.
Author guidelines will be distributed after the conference. Participation in a conference as speaker is required for inclusion of the paper in the monograph.
Travelling costs in case of visiting speakers is not covered by the conference organizers.
If you have any questions, please, e-mail to esoterra.asem@gmail.com.
Organizing committee: Sergey V. Pakhomov (Chair), Igor N. Zaitsev, Birgit Menzel, Semen S. Petrukhin, Yu. V. Sergievskaya
The conference will take place at Russian Christian Academy for Humanities, Saint Petersburg, Fontanka embankment, 15.
Application for participation in the conference as speaker
By submitting this form you allow the Association for the Study of Esotericism and Mysticism, a Russia-based nonprofit academic organization, to process and store your personal information provided through the form.
Application for participation in the conference as visitor
By submitting this form you allow the Association for the Study of Esotericism and Mysticism, a Russia-based nonprofit academic organization, to process and store your personal information provided through the form.
Video from XIII International conference
“Mystical and Esoteric Movements in Theory and Practice"
“Mystical and Esoteric Movements in Theory and Practice"
Other events
Aside from the flagship conference, the association participates in organization of smaller events — conferences dedicated to more narrow fields of the study of esotericism, individual sessions, and roundtables.Since 2016, we also organize annual summer schools dedicated to the study of esotericism and contemporary spirituality.