Internationalisation

Glasgow-Radboud collaboration drives new research: 'Normative Esotericism'

People often think of alternative spirituality as unusual or outside the mainstream. This new joint research has unlocked fresh approaches to studying alternative spiritualities and how over time they have interacted with social norms.

Alternative forms of spirituality are frequently understood as inherently marginal and subversive, by insiders and outsiders alike. Yet it is clear that throughout history, practitioners of spiritualism, occultism, theosophy, paganism and numerous other esoteric currents have not remained divorced from society’s regulatory functions, but rather have reproduced, adapted and at times, transformed dominant norms, including of race, gender, and sexuality.

"The funding from the Radboud-Glasgow Collaboration Fund has been essential in both initiating and sustaining our project. A workshop in Glenesk in Scotland consolidated our new research network and we now have a substantial, open-access edited collection in progress. Our findings have been disseminated in conferences across Europe and the US, with plans for major grant capture and future teaching and impact collaboration.”

The Normative Esotericism Project is the first to examine the myriad ways, during the last two centuries, in which normative constructs of whiteness, masculinity and cis-heteronormativity have been closely implicated in alternative spiritualities. The research helps us better understand the important role these less familiar spiritual practices have played in shaping the modern world.

Sharing ideas

As early as 2023, the co-leads organised panels on whiteness, masculinity and sexuality for the bi-annual conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism in Malmo (ESSWE9), as well as a roundtable on ‘Normative Esotericism’.

The work further progressed in June 2024, with the sharing of ideas at a 4-day workshop at The Burn in Glenesk, Scotland (pictured), funded by the Radboud-Glasgow Collaboration Fund. This was formative in consolidating the partnership, as well as building a strong, international research network. Detailed empirical case-studies were presented by scholars working across Europe and the US, with in-depth discussion drawing out key themes.

Organic research growth 

Funding from the Radboud–Glasgow Collaboration Fund has enabled the realisation of an ambitious research agenda in an incremental and sustainable manner, allowing the project to develop organically. It has also harnessed complementary methodologies in both partner organisations, through in-person meetings. This has considerably enriched not only the ‘Normative Esotericism’ project but also the wider, independent research and teaching associated with it.

In 2025, the project focussed on collating an open access edited collection (contracted with Manchester University Press), as well as presenting findings at international conferences including the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE10) and the 10th International Association for the History of Religion. Together, these activities have ensured the dissemination of the research findings to a wide, trans-disciplinary scholarly audience.

The project’s findings are being further shared with the international scholarly community, both within and beyond the fields of religious studies and esotericism, through presentations in Boston, Utrecht, Paris and Amsterdam.

Public engagement with Normative Esotericism

An obvious next step was to share the research with a wider public audience. A new Normative Esotericism webpage was launched to make the findings publicly accessible and stimulate wider interest in the project.

In February 2026, the Normative Esotericism project hosted a sold-out public event ‘Ithell Colquhoun: Art Magic, Surrealism’ at The Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow. The event featured a talk by world-renowned Colquhoun specialist Dr Amy Hale and a gallery talk by art curator Dr Lola Sánchez-Jáuregui on Colquhoun’s Gouffres Amers (1939), one of the most remarkable and intriguing works in The Hunterian’s art collection.

Plans for future years include expanding the project still further including a joint COIL honours / masters optional course (to be taught in 2027-2028), a substantial scholar-practitioner workshop, and the securing of large research grants to facilitate the hiring of post-doctoral researchers. 

This is an exciting moment in the project’s development, and the team excited to see where Normative Esotericism will go next.