[Opinion] Phd in magic university of Exeter U.K

[hollowglasd]

I came across this while surfing the net and thought to post the info here for those interested​

Why study Magic and Occult Science at Exeter?​

The study of magic and occult sciences spans historical, literary and social science approaches, covering witchcraft, folklore, Western Esotericism, occult traditions in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, as well as links to gender, sexuality, philosophy, metaphysics, nature, and the history of science and medicine. This interdisciplinary programme unites experts across the University of Exeter, building on its internationally recognised strengths.

Partly based in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) - one of the smallest and most diverse departments at the University - it benefits from a vibrant PhD community representing over 30 countries. This setting ensures that Arabo-Islamic heritage is central to the study of magic and the occult, restoring its influence in the shaping of the “West” and fostering a truly global perspective.

The programme also draws on the History Department’s dynamic expertise, spanning the early medieval to the late 20th century, with research strengths covering Britain, continental Europe, the United States, Africa and India.

As interest in magic and occult science grows in academia, projects such as Arghavan Moharrami’s People of the Wind: On Black Esoteric and Occult Tradition in the Persian Gulf exemplify the programme’s mission to uncover overlooked traditions and reimagine the cultural connections shaping our world

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[HoldAll]

There are several universities offering such degree courses now:

Occult in Academia

It's a tall order but I'm trying to find a university program that will allow me to formally study the esoteric and occult at an undergraduate level. I have looked at different programs that kind of flirt with the topics in the context of anthropological study of indigenous cultures, or altered...

wizardforums.com

 

[Kellhuss]

Very interesting, the only other dept. I can see that does something similar in Europe is at the University of Amsterdam.

 

[JJB5]

I wish this was a thing when I was in school

 

[Rowena]

Wow, that looks horribly politicized to me:

'...ensures that Arabo-Islamic heritage is central to the study of magic and the occult, restoring its influence in the shaping of the “West” and fostering a truly global perspective.'

Total BS - Arab/Islamic influence over western magic is minimal in the history of hermetic magic, and pretty much non-existent in all other 'western' magical traditions.

Seriously, if you want to do postgraduate academic occult research you go 80 miles up the M5 to Bristol, and study under Ronald Hutton at their history department, you don't do it in a tiny specialist politics department of a third-rate university in a second-rate tourist town.

 

[hollowglasd]

Interesting.
thinking about it the piicatrix comes to mind for the Islamic influence but I’m not very knowledgeable regarding it. It’s on the book list to read but havnt done so yet

Post automatically merged: Thursday at 8:43 PM

Perhaps a thread on the Islamic influence of western occultism is an idea?

 

[hoodoo17]

Vaya, eso me parece terriblemente politizado:

«… garantiza que la herencia árabe-islámica sea fundamental para el estudio de la magia y lo oculto, restaurando su influencia en la configuración de “Occidente” y fomentando una perspectiva verdaderamente global ».

Pura tontería: la influencia árabe/islámica sobre la magia occidental es mínima en la historia de la magia hermética, y prácticamente inexistente en todas las demás tradiciones mágicas "occidentales".

En serio, si quieres hacer investigación académica de posgrado sobre lo oculto, tienes que irte 80 millas por la M5 hasta Bristol y estudiar con Ronald Hutton en su departamento de historia, no hacerlo en un pequeño departamento especializado de política de una universidad de tercera categoría en una ciudad turística de segunda categoría.

Wow, that looks horribly politicized to me:

'...ensures that Arabo-Islamic heritage is central to the study of magic and the occult, restoring its influence in the shaping of the “West” and fostering a truly global perspective.'

Total BS - Arab/Islamic influence over western magic is minimal in the history of hermetic magic, and pretty much non-existent in all other 'western' magical traditions.

Seriously, if you want to do postgraduate academic occult research you go 80 miles up the M5 to Bristol, and study under Ronald Hutton at their history department, you don't do it in a tiny specialist politics department of a third-rate university in a second-rate tourist town.

Exactly, but here's a hypocrisy that should be added: Muslims, from the Middle Ages to the present day, have persecuted and repressed any kind of spirituality considered socially evil, much like Catholics in the Middle Ages, but more extreme, and it still persists. Examples include the Parsis (Zoroastrians) or the Coptic Christian Egyptians, who are heirs to ancient Egyptian culture. In fact, I spoke with a Muslim, and he told me that his religion was the correct one and the others were not.

 

[Darkat]

If you want to study magick, study it yourself. Why would anyone want to study any occult tradition at university, particularly the woke institutions that they are are these days.

 

[FireBorn]

I think this is cool from an academic and historical point of view. There is real value in studying occult traditions, folklore, esotericism, religious history, and the way these currents moved through different cultures. I dig a lot of that stuff.

Where I part ways is when people conflate academic knowledge with being a practitioner. A PHD in magic or occult studies may make someone highly knowledgeable about texts, history, symbols, religious movements, cultural context, and overlooked traditions. I am not dismissing that. But head knowledge is not the same thing as having actually done the work. It is not the same as standing in the circle, entering trance, holding the voltage of a spirit, making contact, getting results, paying the cost, or having experience contradict what the books told you should happen.

That is the elephant in the room for me. Sometimes the text says one thing and the current teaches something else. That is a real challenge for people who live mostly in books.

So yes, I think the program is interesting and probably valuable in its own lane. I just would not confuse academic authority with practitioner authority. Those are not the same thing.

Still though, I will make fun of someone with a PHD in magick, cause yeah... fucking nerd shit. I'm a dick, but you still love and tolerate me.