Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation

Albany: SUNY Press, State University of New York Press, 2015. First ed., first printing (full number line). Octavo with blue and white pictorial wraps; vii, 281 pages; bibliography; references; index; 24 cm A previously owned book, in VG (-) condition; considerable ink underlining does not impede reading; was dog eared in five spots; else tight biding and with mild edgewear. Paperback. ISBN: 9781438457567

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. -- back cover