In the academic study of religion the term mysticism has been widely employed and deeply debated, creating multiple tensions within both religious traditions and the academic discourse found within Religious Studies. This book, aimed at teachers and scholars, insiders and outsiders, the educated layperson and those simply interested in mysticism and spirituality, engages not only the what of mysticism but also the how to communicate its complex features in a classroom setting. In order to render intelligible the diverse literature surrounding mysticism, this volume is organized with respect to ... More

In the academic study of religion the term mysticism has been widely employed and deeply debated, creating multiple tensions within both religious traditions and the academic discourse found within Religious Studies. This book, aimed at teachers and scholars, insiders and outsiders, the educated layperson and those simply interested in mysticism and spirituality, engages not only the what of mysticism but also the how to communicate its complex features in a classroom setting. In order to render intelligible the diverse literature surrounding mysticism, this volume is organized with respect to four interrelated parts: (I) Presenting the Mystical Element: Tradition and Context (devoted to unpacking the mystical element found in multiple religious traditions); (II) Negotiating Mysticism: Expanding the Map (which engages traditions and religio-cultural strands [i.e., Native American, African American, and Western Esotericism] where mysticism meets linked terms [i.e., shamanism, esotericism, Gnosticism] and widens its purview); (III) Investigating Mysticism: Perspectives, Theories, and Institutional Spaces (which focuses on multiple definitional strategies, perspectives, and methodological approaches, as well as multiple theoretical debates played out with respect to varying social spaces); (IV) Tracking Mysticism: Pedagogy and Contemporary Culture (which discusses how contemporary social issues and movements have influenced the meaning, study, and pedagogy of mysticism). Taken together, the essays present pedagogical reflections on how best to communicate mysticism from a variety of institutional spaces. It surveys the broad range of the meanings of mysticism; its use in the traditions, the theories, and methods used to understand it; and the multiple controversies that have ensued as a result.