Books like Occult Features of Anarchism by Erica Lagalisse

Erica Lagalisse’s Occult Features of Anarchism investigates the historical portrayal of 19th‑century anarchists as conspirators and the modern myths that suggest they are controlled by governments. The book draws on primary and secondary sources in several languages to correct misconceptions about the Illuminati—a network of intellectuals advocating self‑government and opposition to private property—and to illuminate the true relationship among revolutionism, pantheistic occult philosophy, and clandestine fraternities. By exploring links between anarchism, Renaissance magic, and New Age movements, Lagalisse offers a critical analysis of leftist engagement with secular politics. The work also examines contemporary anarchist movements through anthropological fieldwork, challenging anarchist atheism and its implications for coalition politics. A historical study of anarchism as an object of scholarly inquiry, the book illustrates how the masculine public sphere of clandestine groups informs present‑day anarchist understandings of politics, revealing the ways gender and religion are privatized within radical counterculture and linked to state‑driven privatization.

First publish date: 2018