Call for Papers n. 1 (2020): Islam ed Esoterismo: un astro brillante acceso da un sacro ulivo, che non è orientale, né occidentale./Islam and Esotericism: a shining star kindled from a blessed olive tree, neither of the East nor of the West.

Recent studies in the field of Western esotericism have individuated a sizeable problem with the Eurocentric approach to the discipline. As with other non-European faiths, Islam, and Islamic esotericism with it, has been mainly confronted as an outside influence to its more well-researched Western counterpart. Yet, studies have shown a lively independent existence of what we may term Islamic esotericism, from the distinct approach of Sufi masters to their faith, to the esoteric interpretations of the Qur'an; from the influences of astrological and magical texts such as the Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm upon religious discourse, to the employment of esotericism within tariqas in the Islamic mystics’ search for the Haqiqa, or ‘ultimate truth’.

 

For the upcoming monographic issue of the journal La Rosa di Paracelso, we accept proposals for articles in the most common languages (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish) on the following themes and others you might propose:

 

  • The use of magic, amulets and talismans in Islamic culture.
  • The negotiation between religiosity and iconoclasm in Islamic Mysticism.
  • The representation of Islamic magic in art and film (Dabbe: Zehr-i Cin, Siccin, Three Letter Trilogy)
  • The influence of Sufism on Traditionalism and its representatives (René Guénon, Martin Lings, Seyyed Hossein Nasr).
  • The influence of magical, alchemical and astrological texts on Islam (Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm and others)
  • Practices of Sīmiyā’ and Rūḥāniyya (Shams al-Ma'arif, The Birhatiya Conjuration Oath).
  • The re-negotiation of concepts of Orientalism on esoteric studies in the light of post-colonial theories
  • Islamic influence on 19th and 20th century occultism (A. Crowley, G.I.Gurdjieff, Dr. Musalam and Adonism).
  • Music and Aestethics patterns related to Islamic mysticism.
  • Henry Corbin’s Imaginal Realm.

 

Proposals for articles are welcome in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. Deadline for abstracts: 20 MARCH 2020 Abstract length: 500 words max. CV length: 300 words max. Both Abstract and CV must be in the language chosen for the article AND in English Deadline for the articles: 15 MAY Online Publication: 20 JULY Please indicate the language used for the article All abstracts should be sent to the editorial board. Editorial board: Christian Giudice, christian.giudice@gu.se Michele Olzi, olzi.michele@gmail.com Roberto Revello, rob.revello@me.com