Sufism and Sufi Texts in Anatolia from the Medieval to the Early Modern Period

Service Description

This 10-week course offers an intensive introduction to the history, literature, and intellectual traditions of Sufism in medieval and early modern Anatolia. Focusing on major Sufi figures, texts, communities, and networks, the course examines the development and transformation of Sufi traditions from the thirteenth century onward. Particular attention will be given to the emergence and institutionalization of various Sufi orders, their textual production, and their interactions with the broader religious, social, and political landscape of Anatolia.Through reading of selected primary sources, students will explore how Sufi ideas and practices were articulated. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with some of the principal figures and textual traditions that shaped Sufism in Anatolia and will be able to situate individual authors and works within their historical, literary, and religious contexts. They will also develop the skills necessary to engage with major questions in the modern historiography of Anatolian Islam and Sufism. Week 1 — Yunus Emre: Sufi Poetry and the Emergence of a Turkish Mystical Idiom Week 2 — Rumi, Eflaki, & the Mawlawis: Hagiography, Memory, and the Formation of a Sufi Tradition Week 3 — Aşık Paşa: Vernacularization and Sufi Literature in Central Anatolia Week 4 — Elvan Çelebi & the Babais: Rebellion, Hagiography, and Religious Memory Week 5 — Ferişteoğlu Abdülmecid & the Hurufis: Esotericism, Textual Transmission, and Hurufi Networks Week 6 — Eşrefoğlu Rumi & the Qadiris: Sufi Teaching, Literature, and the Formation of an Anatolian Branch Week 7 — Molla İlahi & the Naqshbandis: Transregional Networks and the Transmission of Sufi Knowledge Week 8 — Cemal-i Halveti & the Khalwatis: Sufi Networks and the Expansion of the Khalwati Order Week 9 — Pir Sultan Abdal & the Qizilbash: Poetry, Devotion, and Religious Identity Week 10 — Niyazi Mısri: Sufism, Dissent, and Religious Authority in the Early Modern Ottoman World