Valerie J. Hoffman

An engaging participant-observer study "on par with Elizabeth Fernea's classic work."

6 x 9, 450 pages, 17 illus.
cloth, ISBN 1-57003-055-3, $49.95s
Studies in Comparative Religion
Frederick M. Denny, series editor

ABOUT THE BOOK

For centuries Sufism—Islamic mysticism—held a major place in Islamic spirituality, intellectual life, and popular religion. While many scholars have commented on Sufism's decline, few have delved deeply into present-day Egyptian Sufism or considered it as a system in its own right. Drawing on her detailed fieldwork and a variety of littleknown literary sources, Valerie J. Hoffman presents Sufism as it exists in Egypt today, in the vivid experiences of its adherents. With an array of conclusions that overturn widely held beliefs about modern Sufis, Hoffman argues that the apparent assimilation of Egyptian Sufism masks a thriving movement hidden from the Western world.

From her experiences as a quasi-disciple of a Sufi master, she offers new insights into the movement's evolution, the vital role of women in Sufism, and Sufi perspectives on gender and sexuality.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Valerie J. Hoffman is associate professor of religion at the University of Illinois and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

REVIEWS

"[Hoffman] has had special direct experience which forces reinterpretations of conclusions presented in many currently standard sources."—John Voll, author of Islam, Continuity and Change in the Modern World