Karolina Maria Kotkowska (Hess), PhD

I'm a researcher in Western esotericism, alternative spirituality, and new religious movements. My main focus is Central And Eastern Europe, especially Poland, but I work on some currents globally. My research is inter- and transdisciplinary, hence I have a multi-degree academic preparation. I graduated in ethnology and cultural anthropology, pedagogy, and philosophy - I defended a PhD thesis in philosophy with honors, and currently I am continuing a 2nd PhD programme, in sociology. Specialisation in both humanities and social sciences allows me to combine methodology needed to write about complex cultural and religious phenomena. In recent years I was mostly engaged in a project of reconstructing the history and ideas of Polish Theosophical Society and related organizations and currents. The outcome of this project will be a series of monographs planned for publication in the years 2024-2026. Other papers and volumes I edited, and current projects can be found in separate sections. I serve as an assistant professor in the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations at the Jagiellonian University.