Sufi Civilities: Religious Authority and Political Change in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has a complex and varied religious landscape, with elements from a broad spectrum of religious belief vie for a place in society. Despite war and ideological hardening, Sufism is on the decline, but Sufi Civilities argues that this is far from a truthful depiction. The book examines navigational strategies employed by Sufi leaders 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.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 348 pages
Publication date: 28 November 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Despite its pervasive reputation as a place of religious extremism and warfare, Afghanistan boasts a complex and diverse religious landscape, where a wide range of religious beliefs compete for social acceptance. Moreover, it is considered one of the origins of a widely practiced variant of Islam known as Sufism. Contemporary analysts suggest that Sufism is declining due to the conflicts and ideological hardening that arise in societies in conflict. However, in Sufi Civilities, Annika Schmeding challenges this notion by presenting a more accurate portrayal. Members of Sufi communities have creatively and ingeniously employed various roles, including resistance fighters, aid workers, businesspeople, actors, professors, and daily laborers, to maintain and revitalize their networks of community support.

Based on extensive ethnographic field research conducted among multiple Sufi communities across different urban areas of Afghanistan, the book delves into the navigational strategies employed by Sufi leaders over the past four decades to navigate periods of instability and persecution. It showcases how these leaders adapted to changing circumstances in innovative ways, shaping Sufism as a force in the civil sphere. This book provides a unique firsthand account of how Sufi leaders respond to transitional moments within a highly insecure environment, highlighting the resilience and humanity that emerge even in the darkest of times.

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 153 x 231 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503637535