Info
My primary field of expertise is the study of modern and contemporary Western esoteric currents. Topics that I have addressed before include Wicca, Thelema, Theosophy, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. My current research, however, deals primarily with the history of esoteric groups in the Soviet Union, especially during the late-Soviet period (1953 – 1991).
My intersts include a wide gamut of theoretical problems related to the study of esotericism such as psychological dimension of esoteric practices and historical interactions between philosophy, science, and esotericism. On a more practical level, I am interested in mechanisms of construction of ideologies, issues of freedom of religion and belief, conspiracy theories, and religious fundamentalism.
Experience
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2019 – Present: Research Assistant at an Archive, Woodson Research Center at Rice University
Sorting and cataloguing incoming archival collections; working with ArchivesSpace system to create electronic catalogues
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2016 – 2018: Visiting Professor, Moscow Orthodox Institute, Faculty of Religious Studies
Courses: Philosophy; 17th-19th Centuries Philosophical Thought; Modern Western Philosophy of Religion; New Religious Movements. Research advisor for BA and MA students in religious studies
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2015 – 2018: Associate Professor, Dmitry Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Faculty of Humanities
Course: Philosophy
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2012 – 2015: Assistant Professor, Dmitry Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Faculty of Humanities
Course: Philosophy