Fate Calculation Experts

Download or read book Fate Calculation Experts written by Geng Li and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2019-03-10 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having long been stigmatized as an immoral and even illegal “superstition”, the popular practice of divination is experiencing a revival in contemporary China. Fate Calculation Experts explores how diviners attempt to achieve legitimation in a society which identifies strongly with modernity, science, and rationality. As well as associating with modern knowledge production systems, diviners build a positive social image for their occupation via claims to moral authority and appeals to “tradition”. Beyond matters of image management, diviners’ efforts towards legitimation also figure in the social relationships and fundamental cultural values they develop in their practice.