This September we will gather to look at the contributions of Sufi thought and practice to understandings of pluralism in the Ottoman Middle East, South Asia, and West Africa.
The first panel will examine traditions and trajectories of Sufi thought and practices around pluralism. How can historical trajectories help us understand the location of Sufism within changing public spaces? What traditions within Islam and from other sources did Sufism draw in these three cases? Overall, why did Sufism become important in these three regions?
The second panel will delve into how Sufis conceptualize state-religion relationships. How do they reflect on how other Muslim groups conceive of state-society-religion relations? How do institutions, associations and practices both enforce and reflect these understandings?
This will be a closed workshop. If you are interested in attending, please contact info@ircpl.org to inquire about space availability.
“Pluralism: Sufi Thought and Practices” is the inaugural event in the IRCPL’s Sufi Islam in 21st Century Politics project, funded by the Henry R. Luce Initiative for International and Public Affairs. More information on further research and events associated with the project will be available at ircpl.org.
The audio recording for this even is now available here.
Participants include:
Cheikh Babou, University of Pennsylvania
Karen Barkey, Columbia University
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University
Mamadou Diouf, Columbia University
Carl Ernst, UNC-Chapel Hill
Kathy Ewing, Columbia University
Katharina Ivanyi, Columbia University
Leo Villalon, University of Florida