1rst Knowing Hands Book Talk: Alison Bashford, Decoding the Hand
We are pleased to announce that the Knowing Hands project led by Marta Hanson and Stéphanie Homola has started its own Book Talks series featuring recent and forthcoming publications that explore the cultural, historical, and scientific dimensions of the human hand. This series will examine the evolving interpretations of the hand across disciplines, from early […]
Call for Papers: “Philosophy of Divination in the Yijing” – Special IJDP Issue
We are pleased to announce an upcoming special issue of the International Journal of Divination and Prognostication (IJDP), guest-edited by Tze-ki Hon, dedicated to The Philosophy of Divination in the Yijing. This special issue aims to bring together innovative research and perspectives on the Yijing that move beyond its predominant treatment as a historical and philological […]
International ISCSD Conference: “Predictive Practices & Interpretations”
Updated 4/29/2026 CALL FOR PAPERS The International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (ISCSD) will hold its International Conference at Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, 5-8 November 2026. The central theme for the International Conference of ISCSD will be “Predictive Practices and Interpretations.”The conference will explore this subject by focusing on the aspects of […]
MOSAIC Introductory Meeting 3 February 2026
Petra G. Schmidl from FAU, together with a group of researchers from Belgium, Italy and the US, recently received a highly prestigious Synergy Grant from the European Research Council (ERC): MOSAIC: Mapping Occult Sciences across Islamicate Cultures is dedicated to the study of historical sources on occult sciences in Islamicate cultures. The MOSAIC team Erlangen […]
New IJDP Issue Published: Volume 6, Issue 2
We are delighted to announce the publication of Volume 6, Issue 2 of the International Journal of Divination and Prognostication. Contents of Volume 6, Issue 2 Che-chia Chang — “The Rise and Spread of the ‘Red Goat Calamity’ Prophecy.” Kristof d’Hulster — “The Art of Picking the Best Seat: From Seating Positions at a Muslim […]
IJDP Vol 6. Second Issue
Upcoming General Assembly of the International Society for the Critical Study of Divination
The International Society for the Critical Study of Divination is pleased to invite all ISCSD members to its next General Assembly, which will take place on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. (CET). Please mark this important date in your calendar. Meeting Format To ensure broad participation, the Assembly will be conducted exclusively online […]
Gleanings of the “Knowing Hands” Workshop 12–14 September 2025
The recent academic workshop “Knowing Hands: Chinese Hand-Memory Techniques in Situ, Comparison, & Contact”, held 12–14 September 2025 at the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in Erlangen, met with great interest within the Knowing Hands academic network and beyond. As the inaugural event of the next phase of the Knowing Hands project, this […]
“Knowing Hands” Workshop 12–14 September 2025: Exploring Chinese Hand-Memory Techniques and Their Global Connections
An academic workshop titled “Knowing Hands: Chinese Hand-Memory Techniques in Situ, Comparison, & Contact” will take place from September 12–14, 2025, at the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (CAS-E) in Erlangen. Organized by ISCSD Vice President Marta Hanson and ISCSD Secretary Stéphanie Homola, this event will bring together leading scholars to investigate the […]
“Writing with the Phoenix Brush” in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region – Recap
In July 2025, CAS-E hosted a delegation from a Taiwanese spirit-writing (fuji 扶乩 or 扶箕) community, organized by ISCSD president and CAS-E director Michael Lackner. The visit represented the first public demonstration of “writing with the Phoenix brush” in Germany, providing scholars and the public with an opportunity to observe this traditional religious practice. Following […]
