Biography
Stanislav Panin is a scholar of modern and contemporary Western esotericism. His current research deals primarily with the history of esoteric groups in the Soviet Union, especially during the late-Soviet period (1953–1991), and in the Russian diaspora. However, he sees esotericism as a global phenomenon and therefore his research is not limited to Russia: in the past, he wrote and taught classes about nineteenth and twentieth-century esotericism in Europe and North America and recently he developed interest in Latin American spirituality. Thematically, a lot of his work focuses on intersections between philosophy, science, technology, politics, and esotericism. He is also interested in conspiracy theories, religious fundamentalism, and freedom of religion and belief.
Education
2025 PhD in Religion, Rice University
- Dissertation: Seeking Spirit in the Land of Atheism: Narrative Motifs and Social Functions in the Soviet Esoteric Underground
- Graduate certificate in Gnosticism, Esotericism, Mysticism (2021)
2015 Kandidat nauk in Philosophy, Moscow State University
- Dissertation: The Doctrine of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn as a Form of Western Esotericism and Religious Philosophy (in Russian)
2011 Specialist diploma (with Honors) in Religious Studies, Moscow State University
Teaching Experience
2022–2025 Graduate Instructor of Record, Rice University
- Religion, Technology, and Magic (Fall 2024, Spring 2025)
- Introduction to the Study of Religion (Fall 2023)
- American Metaphysical Religion (Fall 2022)
2018–2023 Teaching Assistant, Rice University
- US Cultural Diplomacy (Spring 2023)
- Religious Tolerance (Spring 2021)
- Introduction to the Study of Religion (Fall 2018, Fall 2021)
2016–2018 Visiting Lecturer, Russian Orthodox University of St. John
- New Religious Movements
- Modern Western Philosophy of Religion
- 17th–19th Centuries Philosophical Thought
- Introduction to Philosophy
2015–2018 Docent, Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia
- Introduction to Philosophy
2012–2015 Instructor, Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia
- Introduction to Philosophy