About our project
Historical research suggests a striking pattern: interest in mysticism and all things miraculous increases in times of war and political tension. Yet almost no empirical work has explored the connection between public expressions of mysticism and peace. The link has been assumed, debated, and theorized — but rarely tested.
Dr. Tine van Osselaer, Professor of History of Spirituality, Devotion & Mysticism at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, co-director Dr. Louise Nelstrop, Professor of Church History at the Protestant Theological University, and Dr Grégoire Langouet, Postdoctoral Research at the Protestant Theological University, are working to fill that gap.
A wider view of mysticism
The project builds on the insight that mysticism has often been understood too narrowly. But earlier thinkers like Evelyn Underhill described mysticism as “unitive life” — a deep practice of distinct beliefs that leads to an appreciation of the unity of all things and, from there, to transformative action in the world. Van Osselaer, Nelstrop, and Langouet argue that this broader definition, one that includes public manifestations and communal practice, deserves systematic study.
Their activities include developing a new theoretical model of public mysticism, running a comparative workshop on mysticism and peace in Buddhism and Christianity, surveying networks and communities from the nineteenth century to the present, and hosting a public event to share findings with wider audiences.
Testing the hypothesis
The central hypothesis is direct: mysticism has the potential to function as a tool for peacebuilding. The team’s three academic articles, a public-facing magazine piece, and a project weblog are designed to reach both scholars and practitioners. Van Osselaer, Nelstrop and Langouet’s work could show that the ripple effects of mystical experience extend well beyond the individual — reaching into the social and political fabric of the communities where mystics live and act.
