Dr Tristán Kapp | Religious Studies Scholar | Esotericism, Politics, New Media, Conspirituality & Nonreligion
Dr Kapp is a South African Religion Studies scholar, public intellectual, and human-rights advocate specialising in comparative religion, esotericism, digital religion, politics, Alternative Intelligence, and conspirituality – affiliated with the Desmond Tutu (SARCHI) Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape, Faculty of Arts and Humanities that is jointly supported by the Lund Mission Society and the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant number: 118854). His work is driven by a commitment to justice, public scholarship, and the democratisation of knowledge. He is a contributor to the Database of Religious History, hosted by the University of British Columbia. He also serves on the advisory board for an international project on New Religious Movements, alogside renowned scholars in the field like Dr Eileen Barker (Inform UK) & Dr David Robertson (The Open University), titled New Religiosity and the Digital Study of Eudaimonia; funded by the John Templeton Foundation (Grant number: #63357) and led by co-principal investigators, professors Stephen Christopher and Suzanne Newcombe.
Kapp holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion Studies (Ph.D.), Master of Divinity (MDiv.) and Bachelor of Divinity (BDiv.) Theology from the University of Pretoria, Facultyof Theology and Religion; in which his research explored post-theistic spirituality, dogmatic and historical theology, sexuality, Western esotericism, decoloniality, philosophy, and conspirituality in Western, Eastern, and African religions. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal for the Study of Religion (JSR) and a member of the Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa (ASRSA). His scholarship and advocacy frequently engages the intersections of civil religion, culture, and politics in South Africa. His research has featured internationally in France (École Pratique des Hautes Études & Institut des Mondes Africains), Ireland (University College Cork), United Kingdom (King's College London), South Africa (University of South Africa & University of the Western Cape), Pakistan (Islamia University of Bahawalpur), the Czech Republic (University of Masaryk), Peru (Universidad del Pacífico), and North America (Correllian Community Church) at the first international Pagan World Congress. His expertise has also featured on the Rejected Religion Podcast, affiliated with the Centre for the History of Hermeticism and Related Currents (University of Amsterdam) and the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices (RENSEP), where he discusses esotericism, secular identities, sexuality and digital spirituality in South Africa.
Kapp is also a vehement public scholar and digital nomad; striving for the democratisation of knowledge, combatting disinformation, anti-intellectualism and therefore is an established online commentator with followers across TikTok, Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. His expertise has appeared on South African television (SABC & VIATV), radio (PowerFM, Cape Talk, and Radio 702), as well as in prominent News Media outlets; IOL, Daily Maverick, Maroela Media, Ontlaer, Rapport (Netwerk24) and News24, including a variety of podcasts. As spokesperson, community paralegal, and inter-faith officer for the South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA), Kapp leads public grassroots advocacy on religious freedom, LGBTQI+ rights, and social justice in South Africa, supported by his experience in mediation, dispute resolution, and policy research.
