1st International ISCSD Conference: “Predictive Practices & Interpretations”
CALL FOR PAPERS The International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (ISCSD) will hold its First International Conference at Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, during the first half of November 2026 (exact date to be announced shortly). The central theme for the First International Conference of ISCSD will be “Predictive Practices and Interpretations.” With […]
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 […]
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 […]
Recording Available | ISCSD Book Talk with Zeynep K. Korkman
The International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (ISCSD) is pleased to announce that the recording of our Book Talk held on May 16, 2025, is now available online. The event featured Gendered Fortunes: Divination, Precarity, and Affect in Postsecular Turkey by Zeynep K. Korkman (University of California, Los Angeles), with Canan Tanir (University […]
“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 […]
Upcoming ISCSD Book Talk: The Legacy of Chinese Shamanism: The Wu and Their Successors
Date: July 28, 2025Time: 16:00 CETZoom Link: https://fau.zoom-x.de/j/65361545007 The International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (ISCSD) is pleased to invite you to our next Book Talk, which will spotlight the landmark volumeThe Legacy of Chinese Shamanism: The Wu and Their Successors, edited by Johan Hausen. This pioneering collection—the first of its kind to […]
New IJDP Issue Available
This year’s first issue of the International Journal of Divination and Prognostication has been published on July 18, 2025 and can be accessed online at https://brill.com/view/journals/ijdp/6/1/ijdp.6.issue-1.xml. This special issue, edited by our guest editor Stéphanie Homola, is dedicated to the subject of Online Divination Ethnographies: The Transformative Impact of Digital Technology and Social Media on […]
Postponed-ISCSD Book Talk: Onomantic Divination in Late Medieval Britain
Dear friends and colleagues, Due to unforeseen organizational circumstances, we regret to inform you that the following event must be postponed to a later date. We will announce the new date as soon as it is confirmed. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Best regards, The ISCSD Team. Date: June 25, 2025 Time: 13:00 CET […]
