1st Edition

Sufis in Western Society Global networking and locality

Edited By Markus Dressler, Ron Geaves, Gritt Klinkhammer Copyright 2009
    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    In recent years Sufism has undergone something of a revival as a spiritual alternative to other manifestations of Islam. This book investigates the development of Sufism in Western societies, with a regional focus on North America and Europe. Exploring a number of issues relating to the dynamic tensions between religious globalization processes and specific sacred localities, this book looks at the formation of Sufi movements that have migrated from their place of origin to become global religious networks.

    Sufi groups are highly differentiated and often inaccessible, so the origins and development of Sufism in the West have not been widely studied. Employing a comparative approach based on regional fieldwork and case studies, this book addresses theoretical issues and gives a comprehensive analysis of distinct communities and the development of regional branches of Sufi orders, providing an international perspective on Sufism in the West. With contributions from well-known international experts on the topic, the book addresses Sufi orders in the context of the transnational networks in which they are operating and the constraints of the localities in which they live.

    This book will be of interest to scholars and students of religion, Islam and Sufism in particular.

    1. Introduction Markus Dresser, Ron Geaves and Gritt Klinkhammer  2. Glocalization of Religions: Plural Authenticities at the Centres and at the Margins  Peter Beyer  3. Global Sufism "Theirs and Ours"  Marcia Hermansen  4. Globalizing the soundworld:Islam and Sufi music in the West  Michael Frishkopf  5. Pluralism and Authenticity: Sufi Paths in Post-9/11 New York   Markus Dressler  6. A Case of Cultural Binary Fission or Transglobal Sufism?: The Transmigration of Sufism to Britain  Ron Geaves  7. Playing with Numbers: Sufi Calculations of a Perfect Divine Universe in Manchester Pnina Werbner  8. The Emergence of Transethnic Sufism in Germany: From Mysticism to Authenticity  Gritt Klinkhammer  9. Growing up as a Sufi: Generational change in the Burhaniya Sufi order  Søren Christian Lassen  10. Between Nations and Global Islam: Sufi Activities and Community Building among Bosnian Muslims in Southern Sweden  Catharina Raudvere & Ašk Gaši  11. The Reception of Sufi and Neo-Sufi Literature Mark Sedgwick

    Biography

    Ron Geaves is Professor of the Comparative Study of Religion at Liverpool Hope University. He has been researching Muslims in Britain since 1988 and is the current Chair of the Muslims in Britain Research Network.

    Markus Dressler teaches Religious and Islamic Studies at Hofstra University. His research focuses on the religious history of modern Turkey, religion and secularism theory, and formations of contemporary Sufism in Western societies.

    Gritt Klinkhammer is Professor of the Study of Religion at Bremen University, Germany. Her research focuses on diverse facets of Islam in Germany, on theory of secularization and modernity and contemporary forms of religion Western societies.

    'I believe this book will contribute to the understanding of the sociology of Sufism, its transnational nature, its diversity of forms, and the origins and causes of its popularity in the west.' - Sarwar Alam, International Journal of Middle East Studies. 42 (2010)