Conferences

News of the Field / 223 Conferences Religious Studies and Ancient History Jinan, China, 23-29 August 2015 The 22nd International Congress of Historical Sciences, competently organized by Jiang Sheng and Nicole Belayche, convened seven key speakers and over 120 scholars from around the world. Focusing on the understanding of religion today and in history, presentations discussed the definition of religion, the concept of divine retribution, notions of personal identity, visions of healing in a religious context, social dimensions of community, eremitism, and immortality, as well as comparative perspectives , notably between China and Christianity. A number of Ph.D. candidates also used the opportunity to present their research, speaking on Daoist alchemy, funerary art, procedures of immortality, and various dimensions of scientific discovery—all accompanied by vibrant and active discussion. —Jiang Sheng Daoist Lives – Vies taoïstes Aussois, France, 10-12 September 2015 An international conference, organized under the auspices of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes by Franciscus Verellen and Vincent Goossaert in honor of Kristopher Schipper’s 80th birthday, this event brought together thirty senior Daoist scholars from six different countries, including China, Taiwan, Japan, USA, Canada, and France. Seven panels discussed different aspects of Daoist lives, both traditional and modern, lay and ordained, dedicated to cultivation and ritual, as well as questions of ethics and the environment. For more, see http://www.gsrl.cnrs.fr/spip. php %3 Farticle618.html —Vincent Goossaert 224 / Journal of Daoist Studies 9 (2016) American Academy of Religion Atlanta, 20-23 November 2015 Within the 2015 annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, the Daoist Studies Group and the Chinese Religions Group co-sponsored a fruitful panel, entitled “Querying Buddho-Daoism.” Attended by over seventy people, the panel served to ignite new conversations around the structure, contents, and boundaries of Chinese religions. Organized by Stephanie Balkwill, it had Stephen Teiser as president and featured Stephen Bokenkamp as discussant. Presenters included Gil Raz, Kwi Jeong Lee, Joshua Capitanio, and Stephanie Balkwill. The Daoist Studies Group organized two panels. The first focused on “Medicine and Religion in East Asia,” with David Mozina presiding and Elena Valussi responding. Concentrating on the intersections between medical, healing, and religious traditions, it discussed the social, epistemological, and soteriological implications of religious healing. Panelists were C. Pierce Salguero, Michael Stanley-Baker, Ori Tavor, and Benedetta Lomi. The other dicussed “Historical Models of Daoism and State Authority ,” with Joshua Capitanio presiding, featuring Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Terry Kleeman, Stephen R. Bokenkamp, and Jonathan Pettit. They characterized the relation between Daoism and the state in terms of heteroprax sacrifice, state sponsorship and its impact on communal relations within the traditions, interactions between center and periphery, and the modern role of state-sanctioned religious organizations. —Stephanie Balkwill History of Daoism and Science Chengdu, 4-7 December 2015 The fifth in a series conferences, this was was held at Sichuan University in conjunction with a workshop on Daoism and science and technology in the Song through Qing dynasties. About sixty scholars from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, and Spain attended. Sponsored by the Chenghuangmiao of Shanghai and led by the Center for Culture, Science, and Technology of Sichuan University, the meeting pursued three aims: the cultural basis of ancient Chinese science and technology, the local cultural basis of future scientific creativity in China, News of the Field / 225 and the compilation of the third volume of The History of Science and Technology in DTaoism. Dozens of specialized presentations with comments and discussions focused on the methodology of scientific research in the age of big data, science explorers’ groups and Daoist culture, Daoism and medicine, health preservation, physics, geography, architecture, alchemy and chemistry, and more. For details, see ccst.scu.edu.cn. —Jiang Hong Upcoming Self, Science, and Society 10th International Conference on Daoist Studies Sanyi, Taiwan, 26-29 May 2016 For the last twelve years, international conferences on Daoist Studies have been instrumental in enhancing the study, application, and awareness of Daoism throughout the world. Sponsored by the Society for the Study of Religious Philosophy, a branch of Tiandi jiao, this year’s focus is on issues of Daoist worldview and practice, both in history and today. Panels will discuss Daoist cosmology...