Synopses & Reviews
Sufism is Islam's principal mystical tradition, providing its followers with the inner, esoteric or purely spiritual dimension of their faith. This path to spirituality has developed over centuries throughout the Islamic world, fundamentally influencing the religion and its followers, and has been a domain perceived as largely occupied by men.
The Book and the Roses, however, reveals the place of women within Sufism--within its spiritual tradition and within its practice--looking particularly at the zikr prayer (the repetitive act of chanting "the most beautiful names of god"). Concentrating on Sufi women living in Istanbul, the book effectively examines Islam as a lived practice. The result is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the development of the modern Turkish Muslim movement, and to Islamic studies and women's studies in general.
Review
"An extremely well-researched study...valuable contribution to our knowledge of the development of modern Turkish Muslim movement..."-- Newsletter of The Anglo-Turkish Society
About the Author
Catharina Raudvere is Associate Professor of the History of Religions at Lund University, Sweden.
Table of Contents
Encountering Sufism in Contemporary Istanbul * Introduction * To See But Not to be Seen. Encountering Women at a Historic Tekke * I. Access, Visibility and Mobility: Islam in Turkey after 1983 * Islam as a Lived Practice * Out of the Field * II. Gonenli's Group: Sufi Women Constructing Rooms of their Own * III. "Get Exuberant with Zikr": Women in Command of Commemorative Prayers * Political Sufism and Spiritual Islamism * Epilogue * Bibliography
Encountering Sufism in Contemporary Istanbul * Introduction * To See But Not to be Seen. Encountering Women at a Historic Tekke * I. Access, Visibility and Mobility: Islam in Turkey after 1983 * Islam as a Lived Practice * Out of the Field * II. Gonenli's Group: Sufi Women Constructing Rooms of their Own * III. "Get Exuberant with Zikr": Women in Command of Commemorative Prayers * Political Sufism and Spiritual Islamism * Epilogue * Bibliography