On June 26, 2024, the International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (ISCSD) held its inaugural Book Talk. The event featured a discussion of Communicating with the Gods: Spirit Writing in Chinese History and Society, the 11th volume in the Prognostication in History series, edited by Matthias Schumann (Heidelberg University) and Elena Valussi (Loyola University Chicago).
The editors invited four distinguished scholars to present their contributions to the volume. Hu Jiechen (Fudan University) traced the evolution of key concepts and practices in Chinese spirit-writing traditions. Vincent Gossaert (EPHE, Paris) offered insights into how digital humanities tools have facilitated new avenues of research into spirit-writing communities. Daniel Burton-Rose (Wenzhou-Kean University) highlighted the influence of Confucian teachings in the practices of Peng Dingqiu (17th-18th centuries), while Nicholas Broy (Leipzig University) explored the remarkable diffusion of Chinese spirit-writing practices to Japan.
The session was attended by over 30 participants from outside institutions, marking a promising beginning for this new ISCSD initiative. Encouraged by the success of this first event, we look forward to featuring additional works that contribute to the scholarly study of divination and prognostication in future sessions.
