Sufism in Western Historiography: A Brief Overview

Abstract

The academic study of Sufism in Western scholarship began more than two centuries ago, and had its origins largely in the need of European colonialists to better understand the religions, cultures, and beliefs of the people they governed. With the exception of some familiarity with the ideas of some of Sufism’s most prominent figures in the precolonial period, very few in Europe or North America possessed any serious knowledge of the Sufi tradition. This article traces the development of the study of Sufism with a focus principally on the time period spanning John Malcolm (1769–1833) and James W. Graham (up until World War II), and slightly afterwards. In the process of exploring the views of such towering intellectuals as Tholuck (1799–1877), Dozy (1820–1833), Renan (1823–1892), Goldziher (1850–1921), Palacios (1871–1944), Nicholson (1868–1945), and Guénon (1886–1951), to name but a few, it will be demonstrated how various dynamics of power and notions of race and religion colored the way Sufism and its relation to Islam were conceived. The article ends with some brief remarks about the future of Sufi studies.

′Symbols′ as Expression Tools of Islam and Their Usage Methods in Palace Architecture

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From East to West: Carl W. Ernst's insight into sufism's impact on islamic studies in America

“…Well-known Sufi scholars came to North America, making the study of Sufism an essential part of Islamic studies in American universities. Notable American scholars such as Annemarie Schimmel, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Carl Ernst, James Morris, William Chittick, Vincent Cornell, Marcia Hermansen, Alexander Knysh, Ahmet T. Kara Mustafa, Michael Sells, Valerie Hoffman, and John Renard, among others, made significant contributions to Sufi studies (Khalil & Sheikh, 2016). Affiliated with reputable universities, they enhanced the comprehension of Sufism in the Western world.…”