In academic circles, mysticism is sometimes treated as a category past its usefulness — too vague, too contested, too dismiss. But in the recent history of Western philosophy, literature, and art, the picture looks very different. Mysticism keeps resurfacing at moments of cultural upheaval, and the friction it creates has been among its most productive qualities. Dr. Amador Vega, Professor and Director of the Centre for Aesthetics, Religion, and Contemporary Culture at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, leads a project that examines and theorizes exactly these moments of reappearance.
Pressure on the Established
Vega and his team study key cases in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries where mysticism resurfaces at moments of discursive “turn” — shifts in artistic direction and philosophical thinking. Their case studies measure the pressure that mystical texts, concepts, and vocabularies place on established traditions. The team borrows the term “countermovement” from Heidegger’s early readings of Meister Eckhart to sharpen the focus: mysticism as an always-contemporary cultural and countercultural force. The project bridges the scientific study of religion and creative practice. Its public program ranges from scholarly conferences to hybrid scholarly-artistic events developed with Barcelona-based cultural organizations. The aim is to address both specialized and general audiences.
Mysticism as a Living Force
The central goal of the project is to advance renewed perspectives on the social impact of mysticism in present-day creative practices. Vega and his team’s work suggests that far from being an exhausted concept, mysticism continues to challenge how people think about subjectivity, authority, and meaning. In a post-secular age where these questions feel especially urgent, the friction that mysticism creates with established thinking may be precisely what is needed. The project speaks to both specialized scholars and the broader public curious about where mysticism fits in contemporary life.