Hi David,

I am not averse to the idea that the weight of historical tradition in universities inclines in a certain direction, but I have always found individuals extremely open-minded and willing to explore new avenues. My own area of academic inquiry is astrology and, when I first spoke in the theology dept. at Bristol University, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception for my research. It would be surprising to find much in the way of non-traditional theology in any list of books or journals in a theology dept. precisely because the non-traditional is new.

All the best,

Nick

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Robertson
Sent: 14 May 2010 09:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica

Hi Nick -

You're quite right, of course! As for the question of suspicion, it's just the impression I get, though perhaps my position within a very traditional divinity department has led me to overstate it. An idea that Paganism, foe example, isn't "real" religion, and the weighting of the library catalogue and journal subscriptions would seem to support this. Maybe it's not the case everywhere - Lampeter certainly has a very good reputation.

David

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask]">Nicholas Campion

To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 6:57 AM

Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica

Hi David,

Surely including ‘some respected academic sources’ is what you should do anyway, in the interests of scholarship, not covering your back. Also, how do you know that ESSWE is regarded with suspicion by a large number of scholars? I haven’t heard this.

By the way, at the University of Lampeter we engage with magic, pagan beliefs and esoteric ideas with no problem.

Nick Campion

Sophia Centre, University of Wales, Lampeter.

On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 11:36 AM, David Robertson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Thanks again, everyone, this has moved from a piece I thought I migh struggle with, to something I'm actively looking forward to.

"Academic"/"scholarly" is a concern. I'm working under the auspices of the Divinity department of the Edinburgh University, which has a very good Religious Studies department, but it's origins lie with the Church of Scotland, and we're outnumbered 5 to 1 by Theologians and trainee Ministers. My research has ruffled a few feathers already, so when I get into areas like this involving Crowley (gasp!), sex (blush) and magic (shudder), I have to make sure I include some respected academic sources to cover my back. In the Religious Studies field in the UK, theologians study Christianity, Religious Studies people study other religions, and religion as a broader phenomenon is studied by sociologists. Things like the ESSWE are still regarded with suspicion by a large number of scholars, something which is slowly changing but needs to change faster. I would like to think that this is an example of scholars of magic and scholars of religion being able to cooperate, and produce work that informs both disciplines.

David


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