Everyday Faith in Sufi Senegal explores the historical, religious, cultural and economic contexts of Islam in Senegal through the narrative first-hand accounts of people’s everyday lives. Drawing on rich ethnographic fieldwork conducted by the author over a period of seven years, the result is a critical look at Senegal’s religious diversity within Islamic beliefs and practices. Containing interviews from men and women in both rural and urban locations, this book is an important contribution to the literature on Islamic practices, providing a much-needed perspective from ordinary practitioners of the faith. It is essential reading for scholars of the anthropology of religion, Islamic studies, mysticism, African studies, and development studies.
1. Introduction
2. Sufism in Senegal
3. Faith, Beliefs, and Agency
4. Respect, Tolerance, and Political Contexts
5. Everyday Prayer
6. Work as a Practice of Faith
7. Spiritual Guidance
8. A Baay Fall Way of Life
9. Total Commitment to Faith
10. Everyday Mysticism
Biography
Laura L. Cochrane is Professor of Anthropology at Central Michigan University, USA. She conducts ongoing research in Senegal concerning religious beliefs, visual arts, and environmental and economic concerns.
"In around 140 highly readable pages, the book’s ten chapters pack a wealth of ethnographic material, historical and cultural context, and conceptual discussion [....] The book’s treatment of lived spirituality provides a long-overdue counterbalance to the heavily political-economic emphasis in the anthropological literature on Islam. Additionally, its approachability and relevance make it an ideal text for undergraduate courses on the anthropology of religion"
Review in American Anthropologist by Joseph Hill, University of Alberta, USA
