William Rory Dickson 
Living Sufism in North America [EPUB ebook] 
Between Tradition and Transformation

In this book, William Rory Dickson explores Sufism as a developing tradition in North America, one that exists in diverse and beguiling forms. Sufism’s broad-minded traditions of philosophy, poetry, and spiritual practice infused Islamic civilization for centuries and drew the attention of interested Westerners. By the early twentieth century, Sufism was being practiced in North America. Today’s North American Sufism can appear either explicitly Islamic or seemingly devoid of Islamic religiosity. Dickson provides indispensable background on Sufism’s relation to Islamic orthodoxy and to Western esoteric traditions, and its historical development in North America. The book goes on to chart the directions that North American Sufism is currently taking, directions largely chosen by Sufi leaders. The views of ten North American Sufi leaders are explored in depth and their perspectives on Islam, authority, gender, and tradition are put in conversation with one another. A more detailed picture of North American Sufism emerges, challenging previous scholarly classifications of Sufi groups, and highlighting Sufism’s fluidity, diversity, and dynamism.

Table des matières

Acknowledgments

Introduction




Part I



1. Tracing Sufism’s Relation to Islam



2. The Genesis of Sufism in the West



3. Currents of Sufi Teaching in Twentieth-Century North America




Part II



4. Adapting Sufism in North America



5. North American Sufi Teachers on Sufism and Islam



Conclusion

Notes

Glossary

References

Index

A propos de l’auteur

William Rory Dickson is Assistant Professor of Islamic Religion and Culture at the University of Winnipeg.