Sufi civilities: religious authority and political change in Afghanistan

"Despite its pervasive reputation as a place of religious extremes and war, Afghanistan has a complex and varied religious landscape where elements from a broad spectrum of religious belief vie for a place in society. It is also one of the birthplaces of a widely practiced variant of Islam: Suf...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Schmeding, Annika (Author)
Format: Print Book
Language:English
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WorldCat: WorldCat
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Stanford, California Stanford University Press [2024]
In:Year: 2024
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Afghanistan / Sufism
Further subjects:B Afghanistan Politics and government 2001-
B Islam and state (Afghanistan)
B Muslim religious leaders (Afghanistan)
B Sufism Political aspects (Afghanistan)
B Afghanistan Politics and government 1989-2001
Online Access: Inhaltsverzeichnis (Aggregator)
Parallel Edition:Erscheint auch als: Schmeding, Annika: Sufi civilities. - Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2023. - 9781503637542
Description
Summary:"Despite its pervasive reputation as a place of religious extremes and war, Afghanistan has a complex and varied religious landscape where elements from a broad spectrum of religious belief vie for a place in society. It is also one of the birthplaces of a widely practiced variant of Islam: Sufism. Contemporary analysts suggest that Sufism is on the decline due to war and the ideological hardening that results from societies in conflict. However, in Sufi Civilities, Annika Schmeding argues that this is far from a truthful depiction. Sufi communities have worked as resistance fighters, aid workers, businessmen, actors, professors and daily workers in creative and ingenious ways to keep and renew their networks of community support. Based on long-term ethnographic field research among multiple Sufi communities in different urban areas of Afghanistan, Schmeding examines navigational strategies employed by Sufi leaders over the past four decades to weather periods of instability and persecution, showing how they adapted to changing conditions in novel ways that crafted Sufism as a force in the civil sphere. This book offers a rare on-the-ground view into how Sufi leaders react to moments of transition within a highly insecure environment, and how humanity shines through the darkness during times of turmoil"--
Item Description:Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN:1503633381