The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESWE) is a learned society established in 2005 to advance the academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present and to secure the future development of the field. The ESSWE is an affiliated society of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) and a related scholarly organization of the American Academy of Religion (AAR).

Among the activities of the ESSWE are:

• Organising an international conference every two years and an MA workshop in years in which there is no international conference;
  
• Promoting further contact and exchange among scholars by organizing regional and thematic networks;
  
• Promoting scholarly publications, notably the journal Aries and the Aries Book Series;
  
• Stimulating research and education through prizes and bursaries;
  
• Promoting academic debate, interdisciplinary and critical approaches, and the application of a variety of scholarly methods;
  
• Co-operating with other scholarly associations in and beyond Europe;
  
• Encouraging the appreciation of the historical, cultural and intellectual significance of Western esotericism by research institutions, scholarly policy makers, and the general public.
  

• A discount on ESSWE conference fees;
  
• Discounts on the journal Aries and on volumes published in the Aries Book Series;
  
• Access to areas of the ESSWE website that allow members to make publicity for their books and to use an online e-mail system to easily communicate with other scholars in the field.