The Rise of the Traditionalists with Mark Sedgwick

Ken explores the complex topic of Traditionalism, it’s esoteric roots, and why it’s having such an impact on Right-Wing politics. Our Illuminator this week is the excellent Professor Mark Sedgwick, author of ‘Traditionalism: The Radical Project for Restoring Sacred Order’. This week: Rene Guenon despises modernity, Julius Evola and the Nazis, Steve Bannon and Alexander Dugin’s Traditionalist influence, and much more. Main theme by Simon Smerdon (Mothboy) Music bed by chriszabriskie.com Get Mark’s book in the UK at https://amzn.to/425OoAe Get Mark’s book in the US at https://amzn.to/48ZI9zY Get Mark’s book in the EU at https://amzn.to/490HmiC Mark’s Traditionalists Blog Mark Sedgwick Bio Mark J. Sedgwick is an academic and historian. Dr. Sedgwick is currently an associate professor of Arab history, culture and society in the Department of the Study of Religion, and program manager for Arab and Islamic Studies, at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He previously worked at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Mark Sedgwick is the author of the controversial book Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century, published by Oxford University Press in 2004. The book purports to be a survey of “traditionalism,” with particular emphasis on the role René Guénon played in this school of thought. A number of careful reviewers, however, have found that Against the Modern World contains serious errors and faults in both premises and facts. Dr. Mark Sedgwick maintains an active presence on the internet, including his blog, some of which strikes various readers as rather biased and self-promotional while other readers perceive his efforts as the result of academic inquisitiveness. It is undeniable that he is a source of information about Tradition and Perennialism. However, the controversial nature of Mark Sedgwick’s work on Traditionalism and Perennialism causes many readers to ask whether his influence is disproportionate to his credentials and possibly even to his motives. Readers must judge for themselves whether Sedgwick is a dispassionate student of Traditionalism or someone with an internet connection and a “personal and undisclosed bias against Traditionalism.” In the interest of a more balanced and well-researched view of Traditionalism, we present on this website three rather detailed and, we hope, incisive reviews of Mark Sedgwick’s Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century.