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This presentation examines processes of subjectification whereby Chinese gods affirm unique personas and engage humans and each other in intersubjective interactions. In so doing, it develops relational approaches to study divine-human sociability. The vast array of ritual techniques developed over the longue durée in China to allow the gods to “talk back” to humans and create bonds have allowed these gods to affirm themselves as persons and subjects – even though there was also resistance against such developments. This lecture will propose an overview of the ritual techniques available for such personification and subjectification processes and their historical development in the Chinese world. It will then explore some of the theoretical and comparative dimensions of such processes and their consequences for our understanding of subjectivity.

Event date: 10/06/2025
Speaker: Prof. Vincent GOOSSAERT
Hosted by: Faculty of Humanities