My research centers around four broad categories that interrelate and often overlap. These four can be described as:

Together these four areas describe the general area of historical research that I have and continue to investigate. Whether it is in the history of a nineteenth century Englishman who rejected both Christianity and occultism in an effort to bring Buddhism to Britain, or examining how talismans become the nexus for debates regarding the categories of illicit magic or approved miracle, or how the Theosophical Society initially engaged in practical occultism but eventually rejected it favoring a more academic approach to the occult, they all represent areas I explore.

 


The Assimilation of the East in the West
The categories of East and West have been debated frequently within scholarly discourse. They are inherently political and intimate histories of colonial oppression and violence. Yet, they also map a view of the world prevalent within history. This project examines the individuals, institutions, and national figures involved with the counter movement of bringing “Eastern” systems of knowledge and religion to “Western” nations and cultures. The primary domain is the spiritual, philosophical, and political which are contextualized within a narrative of trans-national and trans-cultural exchange.

New Religious Movements in the United States
The constitutional separation of church and state causes America to be a fertile ground for religious innovation. Over the last two centuries Americans and immigrants alike have found new ways to see the world and have created either new religions or changed existing religions in new and exciting ways. This area of research examines a number of the newer religious systems that arose in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Primary subjects are new religious movements that overlap with other research topics such as those that attempt to incorporate “Eastern” religious and philosophical systems, or those that are within the western esoteric traditions.

Modern Esoteric Movements
Western esoteric movements date back to the renaissance or possibly further. However the modern period represents an important turn in which ideas and beliefs previously held by the few have become well known and adopted by the masses. This area of research targets modern esoteric movements as it is negotiated and manifested by individuals and institutions in search of healing and knowledge (gnosis). Focused attention is on Anglo-American occult traditions and the ways they have emerged over the last one hundred and fifty years.

The Negotiation of Religion, Magic, and Science
The categories of religion, magic and science have been debated in both the public and academic realms. Frequently they are used to counter each other or embedded in narratives of rationality, or it’s opposite. Moreover, each becomes a means of asserting power, knowledge and acquiring legitimacy. This project examines the way these categories are defined, how they are used rhetorically, and how, historically, they arose and interacted.