The Familial Occult: Explorations at the Margins of Critical Autoethnography - Ingram Academic — Occult Philosophy

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The Familial Occult: Explorations at the Margins of Critical Autoethnography - Ingram Academic

Name: The Familial Occult: Explorations at the Margins of Critical Autoethnography - Ingram Academic
Price: 135.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781805391753

✍️ Coțofană, Alexandra

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$135.00

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This groundbreaking work delves into the often-unexplored territory of scholars whose upbringing involved occult practices within their families. Alexandra Coțofană examines how these intimate, early experiences fundamentally shape their understanding of reality and knowledge, influencing their very identity as academics. It highlights the intricate conflicts arising when deeply personal, subjective experiences confront the objective frameworks traditionally favored in academia, offering a crucial perspective on a rarely discussed aspect of scholarly life.

🕯️

Occult Philosophy

Praise for this book

“I found the book to be compelling and fascinating. Some of the authors' evocative writing drew me into the ... stories which resonated with my own family.”

— Gresilda A. Lilley-Tubbs, Virginia Tech

🏛 Berghahn Books 📅 2023 📖 206 pages 📔 Library Binding ISBN: 9781805391753

Fun Fact

Coțofană's "The Familial Occult" is a brave and essential contribution to both occult studies and critical autoethnography. It excels in illuminating the profound, often challenging, interplay between personal, inherited spiritualities and academic rigor. While not a practical guide, it offers unparalleled insight into the identity formation of scholars shaped by unique backgrounds. It will disappoint those seeking spells but deeply resonate with academics and curious readers grappling with the subjective/objective divide in their own lives and work.

📝 Description: The Familial Occult: Explorations at the Margins of Critical Autoethnography - Ingram Academic

The Familial Occult addresses the presence of occult experiences in some scholars' families and how that has affected their epistemological and ontological worlds, as well as their identities as scholars. Those with backgrounds in the familial occult often experience a series of conflicting relationships and different ways of interacting with binaries such as the subjective and objective, a powerful conceptual couple still governing academic thinking. While much has been written on encountering the occult in fieldwork or becoming an apprentice in an occult practice, little yet has been published in the academic literature about growing up with the occult.

📑 What's inside

List of Figures
Introduction: "How Does That Make You Feel?" Writing about the Familial Occult as Therapy Alexandra Coțofană
Chapter 1. A Chinese American Religious Healer: Towards Filial Ethnography Kin Cheung
Chapter 2. I am My Mother's Son: Revelations of the Divine Earl Clarence L. Jimenez
Chapter 3. Of Bibles and Broads: The familial occult as Academic Lens Alexandra Coțofană
Chapter 4. Facing My Genies: A Commute between Self, Familial Spirits, and Anthropology Kamal Feriali
Chapter 5. On Familial Occultism James M. Nyce
Chapter 6. The Familial Occult in Yakutia: Changeling Children and Tricking Demons Natalya Khokholova
Chapter 7. Can Ethnography of the Occult Be Transformed into Occult Ethnography? Contextualizing a Local Religious Practice in Abkhazia Rita Kuznetsova and Igor Kuznetsov
Chapter 8. "My father was a Reader" Practices of Folk Medicine in Northern Sweden Annelie Sjölander-Lindqvist and Johan Wedel
Conclusion
References Index

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Coțofană presents a rigorous examination of how early familial occult exposure impacts academic identity. While intellectually stimulating for those in esoteric studies or sociology, it may not suit readers seeking practical occult techniques or light, accessible narratives. The dense theoretical framework requires patience and a specific interest in autoethnographic methodology. Those looking for straightforward historical accounts of magic might find the focus on contemporary scholarly conflict too abstract. It is a niche contribution that demands engagement with complex identity politics rather than offering easy answers or entertainment.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers deeply interested in the hidden architectures of academic identity will find this text invaluable. It offers a rare, candid look at how familial occult backgrounds influence scholarly thought, providing comfort to those who feel their personal history clashes with institutional norms. If you are a researcher grappling with the tension between subjective experience and objective academia, this book validates your journey. It is essential for anyone seeking to understand the profound, often unspoken ways ancestral practices shape intellectual frameworks and professional existence.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

For scholars, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of personal narrative, occult experiences, and academic identity. If you've ever felt the tension between your lived reality and intellectual pursuits, this book offers profound insights.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Coțofană presents a rigorous examination of how early familial occult exposure impacts academic identity. While intellectually stimulating for those in esoteric studies or sociology, it may not suit readers seeking practical occult techniques or light, accessible narratives. The dense theoretical framework requires patience and a specific interest in autoethnographic methodology. Those looking for straightforward historical accounts of magic might find the focus on contemporary scholarly conflict too abstract. It is a niche contribution that demands engagement with complex identity politics rather than offering easy answers or entertainment.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, this book is an academic exploration. It analyzes the lived experience of individuals raised within occult familial contexts, examining its impact on their identity and intellectual frameworks, rather than offering practical instruction.

Critical autoethnography is a research method where the author uses their own personal experiences to examine broader cultural, social, and political issues, often critically reflecting on power dynamics and societal norms.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Inherited Esoteric Worlds

This book uniquely explores the experience of growing up with occult traditions embedded in one's family life. Unlike studies focused on fieldwork or apprenticeship, it examines the profound, formative influence of these inherited spiritual landscapes on an individual's worldview from childhood, shaping their personal and intellectual trajectory.

Bridging Subjective & Objective

Coțofană scrutinizes the inherent tension faced by individuals whose personal, often mystical, realities clash with the objective, rational demands of academic discourse. The text illuminates how these scholars navigate the powerful conceptual divide between subjective experience and objective analysis, challenging traditional intellectual boundaries.

Identity in Academia

The work investigates how a familial background rooted in the occult profoundly reconfigures a scholar's sense of self and their epistemological framework. It uncovers the complex interplay between personal history and professional identity, revealing how deeply embedded experiences can redefine one's approach to knowledge and academic inquiry.

📜 Historical context

“The Familial Occult” carves out a vital niche within critical autoethnography and the burgeoning field of occult studies. While much has focused on encountering the esoteric in external research or ritual, Coțofană's work distinguishes itself by exploring the deep, internalized impact of growing up within such traditions, thus enriching the discourse on how personal history shapes scholarly understanding.

📚 Glossary

Occult
Epistemology
Ontology

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on a personal experience or family tradition that significantly shaped your worldview but might be considered "unconventional" by mainstream society or academic circles. How does it influence your perception of knowledge?
Consider a time when your deeply held subjective beliefs or experiences came into conflict with an objective, academic, or professional framework. How did you navigate that tension?
In what ways do your early life experiences, particularly those from your family, continue to inform your identity, especially in how you approach learning, research, or understanding the world?