Occultism, Witchcraft, and Cultural Fashions: Essays in Comparative Religion

by Mircea Eliade

Publisher:

The University of Chicago Press

, 2024

In the period domoninated by the triumphs of scientific rationalism, how do we account for the extraordinary success of such occult movements as astrology or the revival of witchcraft? From his perspective as a historian of religions, the eminent scholar Mircea Eliade shows that such popular trends develop from archaic roots and periodically resurface in certain myths, symbols, and rituals. In six lucid essays collected for this volume, Eliade reveals the profound religious significance that lies at the heart of many contemporary cultural vogues.

Since all of the essays except the last were originally delivered as lectures, their introductory character and lively oral style make them particularly accessible to the intelligent nonspecialist. Rather than a popularization, Occultism, Witchcraft, and Cultural Fashions is the fulfillment of Eliade's conviction that the history of religions should be read by the widest possible audience.

Product Details

• Title: Occultism, Witchcraft, and Cultural Fashions: Essays in Comparative Religion
• Author: Mircea Eliade
• Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780226163307, 9780226203911, 0226203913, 022616330X
• Resource ID: LLS:9780226163307
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-02T12:42:32Z

About Mircea Eliade

Mircea Eliade (March 13 1907 – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day. His theory that hierophanies form the basis of religion, splitting the human experience of reality into sacred and profane space and time, has proved influential.