Sufism in Europe by Piraino, Francesco;

Short description:

Examines the development of Sufism in Western Europe in the 21st Century

Long description:

Sufism, the spiritual, mystical and esoteric dimension of Islam, is experiencing a renewal in the 21st century. Charismatic Sufi masters have been able to revitalise their language, attracting new disciples and going beyond their cultural-geographic framework. This book describes the development of Sufism in Western Europe, particularly in France and Italy, through extended empirical research based on participant observation in four Sufi orders. The author illustrates the different forms of hybridisation between the Islamic-Sufi tradition and Western esoteric discourses, in particular the Guénonian-Traditionalist and the New Age discourse. These hybridisations often involve the creation of new doctrines, rituals and organizational structures, and produce different universalist discourses, which imply different Sufi politics in Europe, such as a lack of interest due to an imminent eschatology, civic engagement, and metapolitical elitism.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Mark Sedgwick

Introduction

1. Sufism as Mysticism – Scientia Experimentalis and as Discursive Tradition – Sacra Doctrina
2. Sufi Pioneers in Europe
3. Qādiriyya Būdshīshiyya
4. Shādiliyya Darqāwiyya ʿAlāwiyya
5. The Naqshbandiyya-Ḥaqqāniyya
6. Aḥmadiyya-Idrīsiyya Shādhiliyya

Conclusions
Epilogue
Bibliographical references
Glossary