Sufism and the 'Modern' in Islam

Sufism has not only survived into the twenty-first century but has experienced a significant resurgence throughout the Muslim world. Sufism and the 'Modern' in Islam offers refreshing new perspectives on this phenomenon, demonstrating surprising connections between Sufism and Muslim reformist currents, and the vital presence of Sufi ideas and practices in all spheres of life. Contrary to earlier theories of the modernization of Muslim societies, Sufi influence on the political, economic and intellectual life of contemporary Muslim societies has been considerable. Although less noticed than the resurgence of radical Islam, Sufi orders and related movements involve considerably larger numbers of followers, even among the modern urban middle classes. The movement demonstrates a vitality and fervour that has massive contemporary appeal to urbanites, particularly in the West. This innovative study brings together new comparative and interdisciplinary research to show how Sufis have responded to modernization and globalization and how various currents of Islamic reform and Sufism have interacted. Offering fascinating new insights into the pervasive Sufi influence on modern Islamic religiosity and contemporary political and economic life, this book raises important questions about Islam in the age of urbanism and mass communications.

Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION 1. Sufism and the ‘Modern’ in Islam PART I: MODALITIES OF SUFI ORGANIZATION AND PRACTICES IN MODERN SOCIETY 2. What is a Sufi Order? Revisiting the concept through a case study of the Khalwatiyya in contemporary Egypt 3. Sufism and Modernity in Turkey: From the authenticity of experience to the practice of discipline 4. Elements of Neo-traditional Sufism in Iran 5. Saint and Sufi in Contemporary Mali 6. Saints, Politicians and Sufi Bureaucrats: Mysticism and politics in Indonesia’s New Order PART II: THE INTERRELATION OF SUFISM AND ISLAMIC REFORM 7. Sufi Fundamentalism between India and the Middle East 8. The Reformist Sufism of the Tablighi Jama`at: The Case of the Meos of Mewat, India 9. National Crisis and the Representation of Traditional Sufism in Indonesia: The periodicals Salafy and Sufi 10. Sufi Modernities in Contemporary Senegal: Religious dynamics between the local and the global 172 PART III: BREAKING OUT OF THE MOULD: SUFISM IN NEW SETTINGS 11. Intimate Disciples in the Modern World: The creation of translocal amity among South Asian Sufis in Britain 12. Modernity and Islamic Spirituality in Indonesia’s New Sufi Networks 13. God by All Means … Eclectic faith and Sufi resurgence among the Moroccan bourgeoisie 14. The Development of a Modern Western Sufism CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS 15. Contemporary Sufism and Current Social Theory Notes Notes on Contributors Note on Transliteration References Glossary 353 Index

About the Author :
Martin van Bruinessen is Professor of Islamic Studies at Utrecht University and the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM), both in the Netherlands. Julia Day Howell is Associate Professor in Asian Studies at Griffith University and Deputy Director of the Griffith Asia Institute (Brisbane, Australia).

Review :
'Whilst the media, politicians and the public have been preoccupied post 9/11 with radical Islamism, scholars of Islam have been opening up a rich seam of Sufism. Most of this research can be found in this fine book, which can act as a benchmark on studies of contemporary Sufism' Dr. Philip Lewis, Honorary Visiting Lecturer, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford