"Galicia Occulta": Esoteric Ideas in the Galician Cultural Environment (1772-1939)
Andrii Petrash
National Reserve "Davnii Halych"16.10.2024, 16:00
Library of Center for Urban History
During the urban seminar, historian Andrii Petrash will present a preliminary version of a project dedicated to the study of occult ideas in the Galician cultural environment, focusing on Lviv in the second half of the nineteenth century-1939.
The researcher will discuss the methodological problems of the study, examine the main esoteric ideas that were spread among the Lviv intelligentsia and their origin in the context of European history, as well as the identified source base of the studied topics. Particular attention will be paid to Lviv residents who were interested in paranormal phenomena, local publications on occult topics, and criticism of these ideas by church circles.
The main goal of the seminar is to discuss methodological aspects and problematic issues related to the study of the occult. The issues to be discussed include the reasons for the public demand for esotericism, the interplay between scientific and technological progress and the occult, anti-materialist discourse in occult topics, the psychology, and tragedy of man's search for otherworldly secrets, and the esoteric ideas of the nineteenth century as metamorphoses of old religious forms. The seminar is aimed at discussing under-researched issues in order to determine the prospects for further research on this topic in Galicia and Ukraine in the context of the history of ideas.
Andrii Petrash
National Reserve "Davnii Halych"PhD (history and archeology). He received his doctorate at the Department of World History, Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations, Vasyl Stefanyk National University of Lviv. He works as a leading researcher at the research department at the “Davnii Halych” National Reserve. His research interests center on the history of ideas. He is interested in the genesis, development, interconnection of different paradigms, causes, and consequences of their emergence. During his residency at the Center for Urban History, he is working on the study of esoteric ideas in Galicia.
This seminar will be held in a workshop format. Researchers are invited to discuss scholarly projects, research at various stages of development, and completed research that is being prepared for publication.
Participation in the city seminar requires preliminary reading and discussion of the researcher's text. If you would like to join the seminar, please email Maryana Mazurak ([email protected]), and we will send you the materials in advance.
Credits
Cover Image: Front page of the Lviv newspaper “Swiatło Zagrobowe”