Dr. Peter Forshaw

Biography

Peter Forshaw studied Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Indian Philosophy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1982-1986). He has spent years working in France, India, Thailand, and Japan, later returning to the UK to take an MA in Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. Following this, he researched for a doctorate in Early Modern Intellectual History, focusing on the interplay of complex hieroglyphic theosophical figures and alchemy. After successfully completing his PhD, he was awarded the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship to research the history of ritual magic during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In 2009, Forshaw was appointed Universitair Docent (Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor) of the History of Western Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter and contributes to the MA in Western Esotericism at EXESESO. His editorial commitments include serving as Chief Editor of Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism and as a member of the editorial boards of several scholarly journals. His research primarily focuses on intellectual and cultural history, especially concerning learned magic's relation to religion, science, and medicine in early modern Europe, as well as the historical development and conceptual understanding of various occult philosophies, including alchemy and Christian cabala.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards