Description: This is a general survey of the rise and development of Islamic mysticism (Sufism) up to the modern period, which takes into account the latest achievements of scholarship on the subject. Sufism is examined from a variety of perspectives: as a vibrant social institution, a specific form of artistic expression, an ascetic and contemplative practi...
Brief description: Alexander D. Knysh, Ph.D. (1986) in Islamic Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies, Soviet Academy of Sciences, is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan. His publications on Islamic Mysticism include Ibn Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition (SUNY Press, New York, 1998).
Review Quotes: '...a well argued summary of recent scholarship that for those questions it treats will certainly be the standard tool of reference for some years to come.'
Lutz Berger, Journal of Semitic Studies, 2001.
'...une livre utile, nourrissant, fournissant d'une manière classique, commode et accessible au public occidental le point des recherches universitaires contemporaines sur la question.'
Pierre Lory, BCAI, 2002.