The Devil's Party
Satanism in Modernity
Published on 27. December 2012
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-19-977923-9 (ISBN)
Description
Recent years have seen a significant shift in the study of new religious movements. In Satanism studies, interest has moved to anthropological and historical work on groups and inviduals. Self-declared Satanism, especially as a religion with cultural production and consumption, history, and organization, has largely been neglected by academia. This volume, focused on modern Satanism as a practiced religion of life-style, attempts to reverse that trend with 12 cutting-edge essays from the emerging field of Satanism studies. Topics covered range from early literary Satanists like Blake and Shelley, to the Californian Church of Satan of the 1960s, to the radical developments that have taken place in the Satanic milieu in recent decades. The contributors analyze such phenomena as conversion to Satanism, connections between Satanism and political violence, 19th-century decadent Satanism, transgression, conspiracy theory, and the construction of Satanic scripture. A wide array of methods are employed to shed light on the Devil's disciples: statistical surveys, anthropological field studies, philological examination of The Satanic Bible, contextual analysis of literary texts, careful scrutiny of obscure historical records, and close readings of key Satanic writings. The book will be an invaluable resource for everyone interested in Satanism as a philosophical or religious position of alterity rather than as an imagined other.
Reviews / Votes
The contributors to The Devils Party have established a significant foundation from which other researchers can draw inspiration. * Susan Raine, Religion *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
617 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-977923-9 (9780199779239)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
12/2012
Oxford University Press Inc
€77.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
10/2012
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€34.99
Available for download
Persons
Per Faxneld is a research fellow at the department of the History of Religions at Stockholm University, Sweden. He has written several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on Satanism and Western Esotericism, co-edited Foerborgade Tecken ("Hidden Signs" H:Stroems, 2010) - a book on Esotericism in literature - and is the author of Moerkrets apostlar ("Apostles of Darkness", Ouroboros, 2006), a study of early Satanism. His research focuses on gender issues in Satanism, and the literary roots of contemporary religious constructions of the Devil as a hero and helper.
Jesper Aagaard Petersen is associate professor at the Programme for Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has published extensively on modern Satanism, is the editor of Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology (Ashgate, 2009) and the co-editor of Controversial New Religions (Oxford, 2005) and The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism (Prometheus, 2008). He has a Ph.D. from the Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies at NTNU with the thesis Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self (2011).
Jesper Aagaard Petersen is associate professor at the Programme for Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has published extensively on modern Satanism, is the editor of Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology (Ashgate, 2009) and the co-editor of Controversial New Religions (Oxford, 2005) and The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism (Prometheus, 2008). He has a Ph.D. from the Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies at NTNU with the thesis Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self (2011).
Editor
Doctoral research fellow, department of the History of ReligionsDoctoral research fellow, department of the History of Religions, Stockholm University
Associate Professor, Programme for Teacher EducationAssociate Professor, Programme for Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Content
Contents ; Introduction: At the Devil's Crossroads ; Per Faxneld and Jesper Aa. Petersen ; The Question of History: Precursors and Currents ; 1. "It is better to believe in the Devil": Conceptions of Satanists and Sympathies for the Devil in Early Modern Sweden ; Mikael Hall ; 2. Sex, Science and Liberty: The Resurrection of Satan in 19th Century (Counter) Culture ; Ruben van Luijk ; 3. Witches, Anarchism and Evolutionism: Stanislaw Przybyszewski's fin-de-siecle Satanism and the Demonic Feminine ; Per Faxneld ; The Black Pope and the Church of Satan ; 4. Categorizing Modern Satanism: An Analysis of Anton LaVey's Early Writings ; Amina O. Lap ; 5. Sources, Sects, and Scripture: The Book of Satan in The Satanic Bible ; Eugene V. Gallagher ; 6. Hidden Persuaders and Invisible Wars: Anton LaVey and Conspiracy Culture ; Asbjorn Dyrendal ; The Legacy of Dr. LaVey: The Satanic Milieu Today ; 7. Conversion to Satanism: Constructing Diabolical Identities ; James R. Lewis ; 8. The Carnival of Dr. LaVey: Articulations of Transgression in Modern Satanism ; Jesper Aa. Petersen ; 9. The Making of Satanic Collective Identities in Poland: From Mechanic to Organic Solidarity ; Rafal Smoczynski ; Post-Satanism, Left-Hand Paths and Beyond: Visiting the Margins ; 10. The Left-Hand Path and Post-Satanism: The Temple of Set and the Evolution of Satanism ; Kennet Granholm ; 11. Luciferian Witchcraft: At the Crossroads between Paganism and Satanism ; Fredrik Gregorius ; 12. Secret Identities in The Sinister Tradition: Political Esotericism and the Convergence of Radical Islam, Satanism and National Socialism in the Order of Nine Angles ; Jacob C. Senholt