Facultatea de Litere

18th International Conference on Daoist Studies
Transilvania University, Brașov, Romania, 4-8 June, 2025

Convening in Dracula country, our topic this year is the dark and demonic. It can be explored on three different levels: philosophy, mythology, and practice.
          In terms of philosophy, it invites an exploration of concepts of evil, the shadow side of things, the wayward or heteropathic flows of qi, the destructive effects of intervening in natural processes, the detriments of conscious divisions, emotional excesses, and more.
          On the mythological level, the topic encompasses the study of all sorts of chthonic figures: ghosts and demons, sprites and goblins, the discontented dead (with their sepulchral plaints), supernatural animals, deathbringers in the body, agents of disease, and many more. From early demonologies through extensive Daoist lists of harmful agents to modern ghosts and viruses, negative forces have occupied an important position in the worldview and cosmology of the religion.
          As regards practice, the dark side has given rise to numerous techniques that may be described in five types: ethical, energetic, herbal, magical, and ritual. Thus, good moral behavior can guard against the effects of the deathbringers; there are numerous ways of guiding qi to empower the organs and create a protective shield; plant matter—in particular peach leaves and branches—have strong demon-quelling properties; magical chants, including the calling out of demons’ names, as well as talismans and potent writs can drive out nasty forces; and there are numerous ritual ways to control and subdue dark forces, including evocation, exorcism, and ensigellation, to name a few.
          All these and other related topics deserve much more extensive and in-depth study, which the conference invites to pursue.

ORGANIZERS
Chairs: Livia Kohn, Boston University; Șerban Toader, Transilvania University
Sponsors: Daesoon Academy of Sciences, Three Pines Press
Standing Committee:
USA: Liu Xun, Robin R. Wang; China: Jiang Sheng, Guo Wu; Taiwan: Liou Tong-Miin, Fiona Chang; France: Karine Martin, Georges Favraud; Germany: Friederike Assandri, Elisabeth Friedrichs

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Christine Mollier (Paris), Title TBA
Rudolf Pfister (Basel), “Chaining the Mind Monkey: Inner Observation in the Songs of the Bodily Husk”

FORMAT
After arrival in Brașov on Wednesday, the conference begins with registration at 8:30 am on the next day (Thursday), followed at 9 am by a brief opening ceremony and keynote speeches. There will be a half-day excursion on Friday afternoon and a dinner on Saturday evening. Optional full-day excursions will be offered both before and after, on Wednesday and Sunday. Details TBA.

– Panels: Three 20-minute individual paper presentations on the panel theme, followed by open discussion (1.5 hours).
– Workshops: Emphasis on the experience of Daoist cultivation, martial arts (taiji quan), and forms of Daoist medicine (1.5 hours).The room will not have tables, chairs, or PPT equipment. It is specifically for practical experience.

REGISTRATION
Fill in this online form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfj1CYQZzk40z-sHO_wQcTgDl6Vi_EdqsnBf4mihI1SvpDqeA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Any questions or supplementary information (paper abstract in less than 200 words), please contact serban.s.toader@gmail.com

FEE: The conference itself is free of charge, but the excursion on Friday and the dinner on Saturday will involve some cost, probably about €40 each. We ask you to sign up ahead of time, so we can make reservations, and collect the money in cash after arrival.

DEADLINES
Abstracts due: 1 April 2025
Program on website: 15 May 2025

VENDORS
There will be a limited number of tables available to distribute fliers or pamphlets and sell books, CDs, and other materials. This service is complementary.

LOCATION
Aula "Sergiu Chiriacescu" of Transilvania University, Strada Iuliu Maniu 41A, Brașov 500091, Romania
Close to the city center

TRANSPORTATION
Brașov has an airport (https://brasovairport.ro/) with a limited number of flights, mainly to Germany and the UK. Beyond that, the main airport is Bucharest (Henri Coandă https://www.otp-airport.ro/).
From there, various options are available:
1) Shuttle minibus directly to Brasov (https://direct-aeroport.ro/).
2) By Taxi or Bus 100 (https://info.stbsa.ro/traseu/887) to downtown Bucharest (circa 45 minutes). Also by train (about 20 minutes) to the station Bucharest North, then train to Brasov. It takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Check Google Maps for details.
From the Brașov train station to the Aula is about 2 km, both local buses and taxis are available.

HOUSING
City Center (3-star) is across the street from the Aula (https://www.hotelcitycenter.ro/#)
Hotel Ambient (4-star) is a ten-minute walk (https://www.hotelambient.ro/en/)
Dorm rooms within a 15-minute walk (apply specially:serban.s.toader@gmail.com)
Plus, various guesthouses and AirBnB places