Contemporary Sufism: Piety, Politics, and Popular Culture

by Meena Sharify-Funk, William Rory Dickson, Merin Shobhana Xavier

What is Sufism? Contemporary views vary tremendously, even among Sufis themselves. Contemporary Piety, Politics, and Popular Culture brings to light the religious frameworks that shape the views of Sufism's friends, adversaries, admirers, and detractors and, in the process, helps readers better understand the diversity of contemporary Sufism, the pressures and cultural openings to which it responds, and the many divergent opinions about contemporary Sufism's relationship to Islam. The three main piety, politics, and popular culture are explored in relation to the Islamic and Western contexts that shape them, as well as to the historical conditions that frame contemporary debates. This book is split into three - Sufism and anti-Sufism in contemporary contexts;- Contemporary Sufism in the Poetic influences and popular manifestations;- Gendering Tradition and transformation.This book will fascinate anyone interested in the challenges of contemporary Sufism as well as its relationship to Islam, gender, and the West. It offers an ideal starting point from which undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers and lecturers can explore Sufism today.

Genres: Islam, Religion

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2017