''Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity'' is a book by the historian

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (15 January 195329 August 2012) was a British historian and professor of Western esotericism at the University of Exeter, best known for his authorship of several scholarly books on the history of Germany between the W ...

, in which the author examines post-war

Nazi occultism The association of Nazism with occultism occurs in a wide range of theories, speculation, and research into the origins of Nazism and into Nazism's possible relationship with various occult traditions. Such ideas have flourished as a part of popul ...

and similar phenomena. It was published by

New York University Press New York University Press (or NYU Press) is a university press that is part of New York University. History NYU Press was founded in 1916 by the then chancellor of NYU, Elmer Ellsworth Brown. Directors * Arthur Huntington Nason, 1916–1 ...

in 2002 () and reissued in paperback ().

Summary

The book uses the

covered in Goodrick-Clarke's 1985 book ''

The Occult Roots of Nazism ''The Occult Roots of Nazism: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890–1935'' is a book about Nazi occultism and Ariosophy by historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, who traces some of its roots back to Esotericism in Germany and Austria betwe ...

'' to trace similar phenomena in the post-war West. According to the author, movements with such interests are particularly prevalent in the English-speaking world. Because the occultism found in the SS can be traced to

Ariosophy Armanism and Ariosophy are esoteric ideological systems that were developed largely by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', which means the wisdom of the Aryans, was i ...

, which emerged from the ''völkisch'' movement, Goodrick-Clarke coins the term "neo-''völkisch''" for the groups he covers in the book. These groups are defined by "concerns with white identity and ethnicity" and in many cases take interest in "esoteric themes of Aryan origins, secred knowledge and occult heritage". Subjects surveyed include American and British neo-Nazism, the writings of

Julius Evola Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiant ...

and Francis Parker Yockey,

Savitri Devi Savitri Devi Mukherji (born Maximiani Julia Portas, ; 30 September 1905 – 22 October 1982) was a French-born Greek fascist, Nazi sympathizer, and spy who served the Axis powers by committing acts of espionage against the Allied forces in I ...

's and

Miguel Serrano Miguel Joaquín Diego del Carmen Serrano Fernández, known as Miguel Serrano (10 September 1917 – 28 February 2009), was a Chilean diplomat, writer, occultist, and fascist activist. A Nazi sympathiser in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he lat ...

's Esoteric Nazism, belief in Nazi UFOs, neo-Nazi Satanism,

Christian Identity Christian Identity (also known as Identity Christianity) is an interpretation of Christianity which advocates the belief that only Celtic and Germanic peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic nations, or Aryan people and people of kindred blood, ...

, the World Church of the Creator and Nordic Racial Paganism.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called the book a "comprehensive inquiry" which "adds to our knowledge of the broad, frightening tentacles of Nazi ideology".

References

Sources

* *

External links

''Black Sun''
at Google Books. * Joseph P. Szimhar

New York: New York University Press, 2002, 371 pages. $29.95. . //

Cultic Studies Review The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is a non-profit anti-cult organization focusing on groups it defines as "cultic" and their processes. It publishes the ''International Journal of Cultic Studies'' and other materials. History ...

. 2002. Vol. 1. №. 3.
Article by Goodrick-Clarke

New York University Press, 2002 371 Pages, US$24.97 by John J. Reily
Reviewed
by the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white s ...

2001 non-fiction books Books by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke English-language books Occultism in Nazism Neo-Nazism in popular culture New York University Press books Occult books Books about the far right {{reli-book-stub