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Contemporary Sufi spirituality of the middle classes - global forms and regional peculiarities

Project description

Studying new forms of Sufism

Practiced by tens of millions of Muslims, Sufism is not only a doctrine or belief system but it also is an experience and a way of life. Many followers believe they can become closer to Allah through inner purification and introspection. While old and new forms of Sufism co-exist today around the world, new Sufi authorities detach Sufism from its traditional organisation in ‘brotherhoods’. They are spreading Sufism through books, teaching institutes, lectures and workshops. The EU-funded SUFISM project will study the global and cross-group aspects of this new modern Sufi spirituality. The findings will shed new light on the structures, themes and institutionalisation forms of modern, global and highly successful spiritual offerings. In turn, this will deepen our understanding of the gaps that such offerings fill in our societies.

Objective

Sufism has shaped the lives of people from a wide variety of geographical regions, cultural contexts and social milieus almost from the beginning of Islam. While old and new forms of Sufism continue to exist, one can identify an interesting phenomenon in various geographical contexts since the middle of the 20th century: In various metropolises around the world, new Sufi authorities detach Sufism from its traditional organisation in “brotherhoods” (ṭuruq) and start spreading it through new media such as Sufi foundations, teaching institutes, lectures and workshops as well as through countless Sufi books and guides. An educated middle-class audience worldwide appropriates Sufism through these new forms and adopts it as a way of life that is perfectly compatible with modern urban contexts, whether secular and pluralistic or strongly dominated by a particular (state) religion. Whereas European, Arab and South Asian specificities shape the emergence of these new spiritual offerings, there seem to be formal and content-related elements that characterise a new offer of Sufi spirituality on a global level and in a cross-current manner. This study will contribute new knowledge of regional peculiarities, but also of global and cross-group aspects in this new modern Sufi spirituality and thus provide us with valuable insights into the structures, themes and institutionalisation forms of modern, global and highly successful spiritual offerings, which in a second step will allow us to understand the gaps that such offerings fill in our societies. In a detailed analysis shaped by a discourse theoretical perspective, I will compare the content, form, dissemination strategies and institutionalisation of the work of six important Sufi authors of the late 20th and early 21st century, which are embedded in different regional contexts and Sufi currents.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 207 312,00
Address
NORDRE RINGGADE 1
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Midtjylland Østjylland
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 207 312,00
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