Event: Talk/Forum: Unveiling Sufism: from Manhattan to Mecca.
Speakers: Dr Meena Sharify-Funk and co-author Dr William Rory Dickson.
Chair: Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz.
Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Wednesday 16 May 2018.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-8.45pm.
Event Description: Here also is a brief abstract about the book:
In contrast to most introductory texts on Sufism, this work begins not with the historical past, but with the contemporary present. Beginning with Sufism as it is lived today, each chapter further unveils the complexities of Sufism, journeying through a variety of historical, political, and cultural contexts, moving deeper into the past, and closer to the origin and heart of Sufism. This geneological framework will enable the reader to understand the patterns of connection between contemporary manifestations of Sufism and past realities.
To ensure that the full range of Sufism’s varied expressions is taken into account, each chapter is divided into four sections: Politics and Power, Philosophy and Metaphysics, Arts and Culture, and Overview of Historical Developments. Dividing chapters into these four broad categories enables the book to highlight some of the ways in which Sufism has influenced Muslim politics, philosophy, art, and culture in each historical period. In each category the relevant issues are illustrated through detailed case studies, whether of a particular Sufi figure, place, artistic expression, or philosophical view. This allows the reader to develop a genuinely three-dimensional appreciation of Sufism.
Meena Sharify-Funk is an Associate Professor and the Chair for the Religion and Culture Department at Wilfrid Laurier University who specializes in Islamic studies with a focus on Islamic and Sufi thought and identity. Sharify-Funk has published and presented a number of articles and papers on Sufi hermeneutics, women and Islam and the role of cultural and religious factors in peacemaking. She also has written and co-edited several books including Encountering the Transnational: Women, Islam, and the Politics of Interpretation (2008), Contemporary Islam: Dynamic, Not Static (2006) and Cultural Diversity and Islam (2003).
William Rory Dickson is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Religion and Culture at the University of Winnipeg. His research focuses on contemporary Islam and Sufism. Dickson’s recent book Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation (2015) explores the ways in which Sufi leaders in North America relate to Islamic orthodoxy, authority, and gender. Dickson has published articles on contemporary Muslim thought and Sufism in the Journal of Contemporary Islam and Studies in Religion and has presented his research at a number of national and international conferences.
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions)/£1 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.