About ContERN

ContERN is an international network for scholars working on esotericism in the contemporary world. Our primary goals are 1) to promote scholarship on contemporary esotericism in ways that are congruent with the broader field of Western esotericism; 2) encourage the integration of social scientific theoretical and methodological approaches and perspectives while maintaining a strong emphasis on historical awareness; and 3) actively encourage the development of new theory and method in the field.

ContERN works to create possibilities for networking and forums for scholarly discussion through the organisation of conferences, conference panels, and scholarly publications, but also by maintaining an online presence. Promoting interdisciplinary cooperation is central to ContERN’s agenda, and the network seeks to foster collaborations between, e.g., sociology, anthropology, and various subdisciplines of religious studies. ContERN is a thematic network of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE). We encourage scholars interested in our work to become members of ESSWE.