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Dervishes and Islam in Bosnia: Sufi Dimensions to the Formation of Bosnian Muslim Society
In Dervishes and Islam in Bosnia, Ines Aščerić-Todd explores the involvement of Sufi orders in the formation of Muslim society in the first two centuries of Ottoman rule in Bosnia (15th - 16th centuries C.E.). Using a wide range of primary sources, Aščerić-Todd shows that Sufi traditions and the activities of dervish orders were at the heart of the religious, cultural, socio-economic and political dynamics in Bosnia in the period which witnessed the emergence of Bosnian Muslim society and the most intensive phase of conversions of the Bosnian population to Islam. In the process, she also challenges some of the established views regarding Ottoman guilds and the subject of futuwwa (Sufi code of honour).
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
28 people want to read
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June 26, 2016
The book is rather short, yet at times is so bogged down with details, numbers and names that it feels neverending. Whole chapters are dedicated to the history of individual tekkes (a kind of social centers of Sufi orders) and documents of craft guilds. If you are not a history buff and really into this kind of work where the author constantly brings up and compares sources and then discusses other authors' opinions on the subject, don't read this.
It's a very well-researched and well-document history book aimed mostly at other experts in the field. If you just want a slightly simplified story about how Bosnia became Muslim, this is not the book for you.
The main thesis of the author is that dervishes were among the first Muslim settlers in Bosnia and by founding tekkes and other urban Islamic institutions greatly contributed to the urbanization of previously rural Bosnia. Additionally, the trade guilds in the Ottoman were also associated with dervish orders and closely followed futuwwa (a kind of Sufi moral code) traditions, which stimulated conversion among craftsmen and their families. This processes, according to the author, gave Bosnian Islam a Sufi flavor and lead to phenomena like the anti-establishment Hamzevi movement or the later ”Esnaf Republic” in Sarajevo, when the guilds ruled the city with more authority than the government representatives.
It's a very well-researched and well-document history book aimed mostly at other experts in the field. If you just want a slightly simplified story about how Bosnia became Muslim, this is not the book for you.
The main thesis of the author is that dervishes were among the first Muslim settlers in Bosnia and by founding tekkes and other urban Islamic institutions greatly contributed to the urbanization of previously rural Bosnia. Additionally, the trade guilds in the Ottoman were also associated with dervish orders and closely followed futuwwa (a kind of Sufi moral code) traditions, which stimulated conversion among craftsmen and their families. This processes, according to the author, gave Bosnian Islam a Sufi flavor and lead to phenomena like the anti-establishment Hamzevi movement or the later ”Esnaf Republic” in Sarajevo, when the guilds ruled the city with more authority than the government representatives.
Displaying 1 of 1 review