*Esoterica: The Journal of Esoteric Studies* Newsletter i.00

Dear All,

If you wish to review a new or recent book, or if you wish to submit an article for possible inclusion in *Esoterica*, this is a good time to let us know. The deadline for submission of articles and reviews for consideration in the next issue will be the end of June, 2000, although we'd prefer to have them sooner.

A reminder that the IAHR [International Association for the History of Religion] conference in South Africa this August will feature a very rich selection of speakers on various aspects of Western esotericism. For more information, see www.udw.ac.za/iahr.

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The following is the Call for Papers for the Western Esotericism "Consultation" of the AAR [American Academy of Religion] Conference, Fall, 2000


Western Esotericism from the Early Modern Period.

James A. Santucci, Department of Comparative Religion, California State
University, Fullerton, CA 92834-6868. OF: 714/278-3727. FAX: 714/693-0142.
E-mail: jsantucci@fullerton.edu.

Paper proposals are welcome in the following areas of inquiry: early modern
(c. from1550) to contemporary esoteric societies or movements, individuals
who have contributed significantly to esoteric practice and knowledge, and
a discussion of major ideas that may clarify an understanding of
esotericism. We are particularly interested in how Western esotericism has influenced Western civilization. These areas of investigation [should] reflect the topics of the session, "Western Esotericism: Movements, Personalities,
Themes." Please send one page proposal and three blind copies to James A.
Santucci.

The AAR will be held in Nashville, TN from Nov. 18-21. While there is no deadline for submission in the original call for papers that I was sent, the AAR website - www.aar-site.org gives as its deadline 3 March, 2000.

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A Conference on "Magic in the Classical Tradition" will be held on 19-20 May 2000 at the Warburg Institute. It will be organized by the director of the Warburg library, Prof William Ryan, and speakers will include C. Burnett, R. Kieckhefer, C. Oates, S. Page, D. Pingree, W.F. Ryan, A. Sannino, D. Severin, B. Uspenky. There will also be a conference on "Apocalyppse Then and Now" 17-18 March 2000, organized jointly with the Department of Prints and Drawings, the British Museum. Speakers will include: Norman Cohn, Richard Emmerson, Martin Kauffmann, Frank Kermode.
Details are:

Irena Backus Common ground and confessional tension in 16th-century French Calvinist and Roman Catholic commentaries on the Apocalypse
Shulamith Behr Differencing the Apocalypse: Ludwig Meidner and the First World War
Norman Cohn Combat-myth into Apocalypse
Richard K. Emmerson The 14th-century ‘Jour du Jugement’ and the invention of Antichrist iconography
Warwick Gould Joachim of Fiore: now and then
Martin Kauffmann ‘Le livre de la vigne nostre seigneur’ and 15th-century Carthusian apocalypticism
Frank Kermode Millennium and Apocalypse: some distinctions
W.F. Ryan Russian revelations
Alessandro Scafi The Apocalypse in maps
Yuri Stoyanov Esotericism, dualism and catastrophe: modern elitist and populist revivals of Enochic apocalypticism
Damian Thompson 2000: the unpursued Millennium
William Tollemache The Whore of Babylon and the ideology of reform
For further details on Warburg conferences: www.sas.ac.uk/warburg/


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We have added several book announcements to the *Esoterica* website, including ones for *Bathhouse at Midnight: Magic in Russia,* (PSU: 1999) by W.F. Ryan of the Warburg Institute, [see above] and Antoine Faivre's long-awaited *Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism,* (SUNY: 2000), in the Western Esoteric Traditions series edited by David Appelbaum. Several more book announcements and reminders will be on the site soon.

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Those who specialize in the academic study of witchcraft and witchcraft persecutions in Germany or North American in the period 1400-1800 might send an email to studies@esoteric.msu.edu, as some colleagues are looking for academic specialists in this field, and substantial grant funding is possible. More on this soon.

That's all for now. Again, this is only an occasional newsletter for those interested in the study of Western esoteric traditions.

with best wishes

Arthur Versluis
studies@esoteric.msu.edu

*Esoterica: The Journal of Esoteric Studies* http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/
College of Arts and Letters
Michigan State University