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Copyright of Revista de Filología Alemana is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The difference between esotericism and exoterism is unlike the difference between circles and rectangles. It is also not the difference between the size and relevance of a specific body of knowledge in circulation. It is rather the extent of the circulation, acceptance, understanding, and meaning of a particular body of knowledge, philosophy, or worldview, over the spiritual and socio-political life of diverse categories of people in society. The infancy of the academic study of esotericism, as well as its interdisciplinary nature, militate against the crystallization of a universally accepted definition of the term 'esotericism'. The various definitions of the term by researchers consistently relate to their research interests. In line with Faivre's concern with the forms of thought of esoteric movements (Faivre 1996), as well as the preoccupation that Versluis has with gnosis generation in esoteric movements (Versluis n.d), our study of Kereke ya Sephiri in Botswana and South Africa examines a) the cultural and religious contexts in which Frederick Modise, a gnostic in his own right, generated the underlying gnosis of his secret society, and b) the import of the content of this visionary mystical revelation in the spiritual and social lives of members of this secret society¹. The study of the Setswana term, Kereke ya Sephiri (church of a secret, referring to a Christian-based secret society), is a study of African esotericism in South Africa and Botswana. The principal academic interest in the study of esotericism lies in our quest to identify the fundamental tenets of the worldviews of the specific esoteric society, the eclectic nature of its philosophy, and how this philosophy relates to the orthodoxy of the day (Christianity in this instance). We do so by concentrating on the form of thinking, engendered by esoteric practices. Esoteric groups do not appear or exist within cultural voids. For this reason, by identifying the eclectic or syncretic nature of the fundamental philosophy (gnosis) of these groups, we trace the cultural influences involved in the emergence and consolidation of these worldviews and philosophies. This study shows that African esotericism is not always antithetic or subversive of dominant or institutionalized Christianity.

Copyright of Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of the Chinese revolutionary movement in the early twentieth century absorbed cultural resources from traditional secret societies and associations. The White Lotus, the Tiandihui, the Gelaohui, the Triad, and the various secret societies that had emerged in the Taiping and the Boxer rebellions were all incorporated into the discourse system of revolutionary history. The secret societies' slogans of "overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming" and "rob the rich to help the poor" merged with the revolutionaries' platform of "drive out the Manchus" and "relief for people's livelihood," and finally advanced the success of the Xinhai Revolution and was turned into a coherent historical narrative. After the founding of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen and Song Jiaoren carefully assessed the function of secret societies and distinguished them from modern political parties. On the other hand, leaders of the Communist Party, such as Mao Zedong, Qu Qiubai, Yun Daiying, and Chen Duxiu, emphasized the ideological transformation of secret societies and the suitable role they could play in the revolution, thus showing a dynamic strategy of allying with these organizations. The history of the relationship between the Chinese revolution and secret societies reflects the changing characteristics and logic of the underclass of Chinese society. 摘要: 20世纪前期中国革命运动的发展，吸收了传统秘密会党与江湖结社的文化资源。渊源自不同时期与地域的白莲教、天地会、哥老会、三合会、太平天国革命、义和团及帮会力量，被纳入国民革命史的叙述系统之内。秘密结社的反清复明、劫富济贫口号与革命党的驱除鞑虏、 救济民生纲领，最终合流并助力了辛亥革命的成功，建立起具有连贯性的历史书写。民国建立之后，孙中山、宋教仁等人审慎评估了民间会党的作用，区分了秘密会党与现代政党之间的关系。相比而言，中共领导人如毛泽东、瞿秋白、恽代英、陈独秀等人，更为看重对于秘密会社的思想改造与合理运用，呈现出动态的联合策略与组织形式。中国革命和秘密结社之间的关系史，侧面反映出下层社会变迁的底色与逻辑。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author offers reflections on Acéphale, a secret society formed by Georges Bataille wherein the members engaged in some weird rites and that somebody as supposed to be sacrificed. He discusses an article by Bataille, "The Sacred Conspiracy," an argument on the absurdity of Acéphale, and the dissolution of the Acéphale group.

The conditions for the development of O.M. Kovalevsky’s humanistic worldview and participatory citizenship during the childhood and adolescence years were discussed. A general description of the socio-political situation in the Belarusian lands in the early 19th century and the life and traditions of home education in the family Uniate West Belarusian priests was given. The system of education at the gymnasium of the Grodno Governorate, the peculiarities of teaching at the Vilnius University, the history of creation, activity, and the defeat of the secret student fellowships were considered. The conclusion was made that O.M Kovalevsky – due to the specifics of the national, ethnic, and religious composition of the population – was brought up from the early age on the principles of Christian mercy, humanism, tolerance, and liberal attitude towards religion. The citizenship of the future of Mongolist was influenced by the Enlightenment atmosphere in the Belarusian lands during the first third of the 19th century and the early era of Romanticism. The childhood and youth of O.M Kovalevsky occurred when a new turn in the Belarusian history took place, resulting in the rise of self-awareness and national-liberation movement, emergence of unique personalities who influenced O.M Kovalevsky’s perception of the world.

In this paper, the authors argue that Franz Boas had a coherent theory of the secret society, which he did not systematically develop anywhere, but which can be reconstructed from several of his works. The authors are not dealing with the whole theory, but only with the postulate of the warfare origin of secret societies (which later became the foundation of the Männerbund theory). Namely, Boas believed that the secret societies of the North American Indians were originally warlike, but that by the beginning of the 20th century they either retained only the functions of initiation and education, or were transformed into therapeutic and dance societies. Although he claimed that the mythology of the Indians did not provide additional insights into the origins of secret societies, his dealings with the myth of the “culture heroˮ and the “tricksterˮ proved the contrary. The authors try to go a step further and find new contributions for the study of the origins of secret societies in North America in the myth of Wolf as the brother (father) of the “culture hero.ˮ

Copyright of Issues in Ethnology Anthropology is the property of Issues in Ethnology Anthropology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)