Kocku von Stuckrad (born 6 April 1966) is a German scholar of religious studies. He specialises in the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...

and the

academic study of Western esotericism Western Esotericism is an academic field of research, scholarship, and education that focuses on the history of European and Western esotericism. Origins and development The academic study of Western esotericism was pioneered in the early 20th ce ...

Biography

Kocku von Stuckrad was born in

Kpando Kpando is a town and capital of Kpando Municipal District in the northern Volta Region of Ghana. It is near the north eastern arm of Lake Volta and the Togo border. Kpando is the fifty-fourth most populous place in Ghana, in terms of population, ...

, Ghana on 6 April 1966. He is a professor of religious studies at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...

. His research has focused on the

Western esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

, the connections between religion, nature, and science, and on methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of religion. Stuckrad's approach to the

focuses on claims of perfect or higher knowledge, rather than particular esoteric movements, and he has argued that secrecy should be regarded as one of the defining characteristics of the field. He has criticised the academic field of Western esotericism for having failed to produce sufficient critical examination of its key concepts from historical, sociological, and cultural perspectives. As an alternative, he argues for a

discourse analysis Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is an approach to the analysis of written, vocal, or sign language use, or any significant semiotic event. The objects of discourse Analysis ( discourse, writing, conversation, communicative event ...

approach to the history of Western esotericism. He has edited various volumes including ''The Brill Dictionary of Religion'' (2006). He has co-edited the ''Journal of Religion in Europe'' and several academic monograph series published by

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...

and

De Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

Selected publications

* ''Frömmigkeit und Wissenschaft: Astrologie in Tanach, Qumran und frührabbinischer Literatur (Europäische Hochschulschriften XXIII/572). Frankfurt a. M. etc.: Peter Lang 1996. * ''Das Ringen um die Astrologie: Jüdische und christliche Beiträge zum antiken Zeitverständnis'' (Religionsgeschichtliche Versuche und Vorarbeiten 49). Berlin & New York: Walter de Gruyter 2000. * With : ''Einführung in die Religionswissenschaft: Gegenstände und Begriffe'' (Reihe Beck Studium). Munich: C. H. Beck 2003. * ''Schamanismus und Esoterik: Kultur- und wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Betrachtungen'' (Gnostica: Texts and Interpretations 4). Leuven: Peeters 2003. * ''Geschichte der Astrologie: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart''. Munich: C. H. Beck, 2003. Revised edition 2007. * ''Was ist Esoterik? Kleine Geschichte des geheimen Wissens''. Munich: C. H. Beck 2004. ** English: ''Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge''. Translated and with a Foreword by

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (15 January 195329 August 2012) was a British historian and professor of Western esotericism at the University of Exeter, best known for his authorship of several scholarly books on the history of Germany between the W ...

. London: Equinox 2005. Reprint London & New York: Routledge 2014. ** Dutch: ''Esoterie: de zoektocht naar absolute kennis''. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press 2014. * Zo zijn we niet getrouwd': religie, natuurwetenschap en de radicalisering van de moderniteit''. Inaugural Lecture for the Chair of Religious Studies, University of Groningen. Groningen: Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies 2010. * ''Locations of Knowledge in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Esoteric Discourse and Western Identities'' (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History 186). Leiden & Boston: Brill 2010. * ''The Scientification of Religion: An Historical Study of Discursive Change, 1800–2000''. Berlin & Boston: De Gruyter 2014. * ''Die Seele im 20. Jahrhundert: Eine Kulturgeschichte''. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink 2019. ** English and revised: ''A Cultural History of the Soul: Europe and North America from 1870 to the Present''. New York: Columbia University Press 2022.

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuckrad, Kocku von 1966 births Living people Religious studies scholars German historians of religion Western esotericism scholars People from Volta Region Academic staff of the University of Groningen