Sufism: A Historical Anthropology

Harvard FAS

Sufism, often described as Islamic “mysticism,” is frequently approached through assumptions about its marginality or sectarian character, as well as through romanticized accounts. This course explores Sufism in its remarkable diversity, past and present. It begins with Sufism’s theological and historical foundations and the development of Sufi institutions and spaces across regions and eras, attending to the voices of Sufis and their critics.Moving from medieval and early modern Sufism to…