Sufism in Canada
Weaving Islamic Practice and Contemporary Spirituality
Edited by Geneviève Mercier-Dalphond and Merin Shobhana Xavier
Whirling dervishes. Ecstatic experience. Historical and contemporary expressions of Sufism are suffused with spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Sufism in Canada considers two interwoven and underexplored themes in this fascinating religious practice. How can we understand Sufism in a specifically Canadian context? And by extension, what does that tell us about the ways in which Sufism informs Islam and popular spirituality not only in Canada but across the globe?
Using case studies rooted in Canadian concerns and communities, scholars in a wide range of disciplines – religious studies, Islamic studies, sociology, ethnomusicology, history – bring a textured analysis to the meaning and practice of Sufism in this country. They investigate the institutional and transnational histories of the Inayati, Halveti-Jerrahi, and Naqshbandi orders. They explore tensions between gendered ways of making Muslim spaces on the one hand and Sufism as a universal spirituality on the other. And they revisit old Sufi stories in a new landscape.
The insightful contributions in Sufism in Canada not only add to a growing body of literature on Islam and Muslim identities in Canada, but also help define new paths of exploration for this important field of study.
This accessible work will resonate with students and scholars of religious studies and Islamic studies, and engage any reader interested in understanding Sufi and religious history in Canada.