Reflection upon “Dreamcraft in the Malay Art World”
By Douglas Stephen Farrer Living in Singapore and Malaysia for nine years (1998-2007) I researched Malay mysticism for a doctoral thesis in anthropology at the National University of Singapore (Farrer 2009). Visiting the beautiful gardens of political author S. H. Alattas in Janda Baik, Malaysia, at the fin de siècle, I stumbled across a variant […]
The Digital as a Space for Esoteric Practices: An Anthropological Study of Esoteric Practices in Contemporary Iran
CAS-E Associated Scholar Maryam Abbasi investigates the digital as a space for esoteric practices in her project at the Institute of Sociology, Chair of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. The project, commenced in February 2024, culminates in the publication of a monograph on esoteric practices in contemporary […]
Spirit Writing
In July, CAS-E has the great pleasure of welcoming a group of guests specialized in the ancient practice of Fuji (扶乩 or 扶箕), which is commonly translated as “spirit writing”. Coming all the way from Taiwan upon invitation from CAS-E director, Prof. Michael Lackner, their medium will demonstrate how they convey messages from deities, ancestors […]
Weaving the World: Ethnographic Writing Workshop by Paul Stoller (May 7, 14 and 21, 2025 at CAS-E)
The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to the fundamental features and essential practices of writing ethnography and creative non-fiction. The primary objective of the course is to show participants how to sensuously describe ethnographic spaces, sounds and characters. Participants will engage in writing exercises that enable them to “Weave the World,” a […]
Lecture Series Summer 2025
Lecture Series Summer Semester 2025 with Abstracts
Steiner 2025 Vortragsreihe / Steiner 2025 Lecture Series von / by CAS-E Associated Scholar Dr. Diana Lunkwitz
Die Vortragsreihe, organisiert von dem Research on Anthroposophy Network (RAN), ist dem 100. Jahrestag von Rudolf Steiners (1861–1925) Tod gewidmet. In der Reihe wird zuerst die Relevanz und Aktualität der Forschung zur Anthroposophie und Person Steiners vorgestellt und diskutiert. Alle Vorträge bieten dann sowohl Einführungen als auch vertiefende Fragestellungen und Diskussionen zu zentralen und aktuellen […]
The Resilience of Magic in Modernity | CAS-E Podcast | Episode 2
The second CAS-E podcast was produced on October 7, 2024. Under the moderation of Dr. Bernd-Christian Otto (bernd-christian.otto@fau.de), Prof. Judith Noble (Arts University Plymouth), Prof. Marco Pasi (Center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, Amsterdam) and Andrea Centore (Co-founder of the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices) discussed various topics […]
Dr. Dominique Hertzer talks about the Yijing, the Book of Changes, for Uni_FAU
March 25, 2025 CAS-E Fellow Dr. Dominique Hertzer is interviewed by Matthias Jakoby from FAU University to introduce the Yijing, Book of Changes, to the FAU Instagram community The Yijing, also known as the Book of Changes, is a Chinese divination companion that is over 2000 years old. It is one of the most important […]
Malleable Fixity: Indian Astrologers on Destiny and Human Choices
By Audrius Beinorius Contemporary investigations into the history of science reveal the close interweaving of religious, scientific and magical discourses in traditional cognitive strategies. And astrology is India’s richest and most vibrant tradition, with obvious religious, social and medical-psychological dimensions (Beinorius 2017). However, there is still prevailing perception that Indians’ commitment to the so-called “law […]
