The Art of Fate Calculation. Practicing Divination in Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng

As part of the CNRS "Chercheurs à l'ouvrage" program, Stéphanie Homola (Ifrae) will present her book "The Art of Fate Calculation. Practicing Divination in Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng" (2023).
Deux hommes chinois
Couverture de l'ouvrage de Stéphanie Homola © Stéphanie Homola‎

From housewives to students to high-ranking officials, people from all walks of life in China and Taiwan consult soothsayers to find out their destinies.

How is a person's fate calculated? How do customers assess a diviner's skills? How does one become a diviner? 
 

Based on fieldwork conducted in Taipei, Beijing and Kaifeng, The Art of Fate Calculation explores the many facets of fate-calculation practices in contemporary Chinese societies. It shows how conceptions of fate circulate in Chinese and Taiwanese societies, while resisting standardization and institutionalization. This can be explained not only by the stigmatization of "superstitions", but also by the internal dynamics of the practice and learning of fate calculation.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://cnrs.zoom.us/j/94117388050?pwd=L0Y1L0djRngyRC8zMVRIN21EbkY3dz09

Meeting ID: 941 1738 8050

Secret code: u1Eaag

 

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