Bjarke Stanley Nielsen

Bjarke Stanley Nielsen

PhD fellow

My primary interests are in large-scale historical narratives and their interconnection with religious and esoteric traditions and discourses. With an emphasis on historical context, comparison and connections, my research is largely based on exploring how esoteric traditions can be understood in well-known large-scale historical narratives.

More information:

  • https://ccrs.ku.dk/research/centres-and-projects/ccste/
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjarkestanley/

Current research

My current research takes its point of departure from Global History and investigates how the 19th-century Theosophical Current can be understood in the broader development of global ideas of the time. One major theme is the specific nature of 'theosophical global ideas'; as a contemporary form of cosmopolitanism formulated as "Universal Brotherhood" - a means to counter national and eurocentric sentiments. 

Primary fields of research

  • History
  • Esoteric traditions - the history of esoteric traditions (esotericism, occultism, magic, mysticism)
  • Global history, macro history and large scale historical narratives
  • The history of Ideas
  • The history of religions
  • Historical method and the science of history
  • Historiography 

Teaching

  • Esoteric Traditions
  • The relationship between esotericism, esoteric traditions and the global ideas of the 19th to early 20th-century

ID: 172787865