Religious Comparativism, Esotericism, and the Global Occult: A Methodological Outline

Abstract This article scrutinizes the history of “esoteric” and “occult” as comparative terms outlines a concrete methodology for their examination potential practical application, based on theoretical framework Global Religious History. My main argument is that are today de facto employed worldwide within beyond academia. Similar to case “religion,” they not result unilateral diffusion “Western” knowledge but globally entangled exchanges can serve objects research. Their synchronic diachronic historical contextualization forms basis development substantiated (experimental) application in different contexts. Departing from scholarship “Western esotericism,” “esoteric Buddhism,” “the global occult,” five-step illustrates use History religious comparativism examples.