CAS-E is a Center for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (Kollegforschungsgruppe), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since April 2022 (KFG 17). DFG-funded Centers for Advanced Studies are interdisciplinary research groups with exceptional funding conditions and an outstanding international reputation. They have an initial funding period of four years, and combine an international fellowship program with local high-profile research, whereby a large number of leading experts have the possibility to convene and explore an innovative research topic over a long period of time (four to eight years). With a local staff of currently 14 employees (three professors, three research coordinators, three administrative staff, five student helpers), and funding for up to seven fellowships per year, CAS-E hosts one of the biggest esotericism-related research projects in the world. At the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen Nürnberg, CAS-E is part of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology. Among other cooperations, CAS-E collaborates with the Bavarian Elite Master’s programme ‘Standards in Decision Making Across Cultures’ (SDAC). The spokesperson of CAS-E is Prof. Michael Lackner.