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Pagan Imperialisms: Julius Evola’s “Esoteric Collaborationism”
This article explores two books by the Italian radical thinker Julius Evola (1898–1974): Imperialismo pagano. Il fascismo dinnanzi al pericolo euro-cristiano (1928), written during the Concordat negotiations between Mussolini and the Catholic Church, and Heidnischer Imperialismus (1933), published in the wake of Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. The authors use the events surrounding the publication of these works to critically assess issues in contemporary Evola scholarship. They advocate for a more integrated approach that considers both Evola’s esoteric ideas and political views, challenging the prevailing tendency in current literature to study these aspects in isolation. The article concludes that, contrary to claims made by Evola’s sympathisers, his intellectual trajectory was neither “apolitical” nor “metapolitical”, but is more accurately described as “esoteric collaborationism”.
32 pages, ebook
Published July 15, 2025
About the author
Davide Marino
8 booksDavide Marino, Ph.D. (Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; M.A., Philosophy, University of Turin, 2013), is a researcher in the Department of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, and also holds a research fellowship in the Institut für Religionswissenschaft at the University of Vienna. His work focuses on the interplay of East Asian religions (especially Chinese) with European Esotericism, with particular attention to Traditionalism.
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June 18, 2026
Many apologists and fans of the increasingly popular Italian Traditionalist occultist Julius Evola insist that, while his works can rightly be viewed as spiritual, religious, and/or ideological, they are not legitimately to be considered political as his detractors frequently insist, particularly those who consider Evola to be far-right and/or outright fascist.
The analysis here (which primarily focuses on the shifts evident in the Italian Imperialismo pagano and the later German Heidnischer Imperialismus ) shows precisely "how Evola was willing to modify his ideas to fit evolving circumstances when it proved advantageous." Which is to say, that he aligned himself what whatever (right-wing) political position was most likely to lead to his own advantage, currying favor with the Nazis right up to the point—The Night of Long Knives—where they would just as soon carve him up, then laying low long enough to reverse course closer to home to curry favor with Mussolini instead, only to become a Nazi collaborationist again after the formation of the Axis, and reversing course on Austrian independence prior to the Anschluss.
In short, at least through the decade examined here, "Evola seamlessly shifted from one political position to another, continually finding new 'esoteric' justifications for his ideological stances." This is entirely "antithetical" to the contention by, for example, Hans Thomas Hakl that Evola’s "political ideas flowed from his spiritual perspective."
In the end, "The conditional support provided to him by the Italian and German regimes ultimately proved to be his salvation. Not only did Evola fare better than intellectuals who succeeded in their collaborationism with the regime [who were frequently executed by one side or another], but having survived the war and the mild de-fascistisation of Italy, Evola and his followers embarked on a project of historical revisionism. From a failed esoteric collaborationist, Evola was transformed into a 'metapolitical' figure…"
The analysis here (which primarily focuses on the shifts evident in the Italian Imperialismo pagano and the later German Heidnischer Imperialismus ) shows precisely "how Evola was willing to modify his ideas to fit evolving circumstances when it proved advantageous." Which is to say, that he aligned himself what whatever (right-wing) political position was most likely to lead to his own advantage, currying favor with the Nazis right up to the point—The Night of Long Knives—where they would just as soon carve him up, then laying low long enough to reverse course closer to home to curry favor with Mussolini instead, only to become a Nazi collaborationist again after the formation of the Axis, and reversing course on Austrian independence prior to the Anschluss.
In short, at least through the decade examined here, "Evola seamlessly shifted from one political position to another, continually finding new 'esoteric' justifications for his ideological stances." This is entirely "antithetical" to the contention by, for example, Hans Thomas Hakl that Evola’s "political ideas flowed from his spiritual perspective."
In the end, "The conditional support provided to him by the Italian and German regimes ultimately proved to be his salvation. Not only did Evola fare better than intellectuals who succeeded in their collaborationism with the regime [who were frequently executed by one side or another], but having survived the war and the mild de-fascistisation of Italy, Evola and his followers embarked on a project of historical revisionism. From a failed esoteric collaborationist, Evola was transformed into a 'metapolitical' figure…"
Displaying 1 of 1 review