Sufi Devotional Aesthetics: Fieldwork in Contemporary Sufi Communities in the Balkans

    Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

    Abstract

    Through an examination of visual materiality and ritual landscapes, this study takes a multidimensional approach to unraveling the nuances of Sufi devotional aesthetics. It explores the convergence of religion and aesthetics, focusing on the sensory dimensions of religious expression. In line with the methodological trends inspired by the ‘aesthetic turn,’ the aim is to shed light on various facets of ethnographic experience within contemporary Sufi communities in the Balkans. Drawing on insights from a decade of fieldwork, two case studies are presented that illustrate how an immersive, multisensory, and collaborative approach to fieldwork can be effectively used to explore the instrumental role of Sufi mystical experience in shaping devotional aesthetics in the region.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1-29
    Number of pages29
    JournalMarburg Journal of Religion
    Volume25
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 21 Mar 2024

    Austrian Fields of Science 2012

    • 603905 Islam
    • 504017 Cultural anthropology
    • 603101 Aesthetics

    Keywords

    • Fieldwork
    • Sufism
    • South-Eastern European Studies
    • Aesthetics
    • Immersive Ethnography
    • Multisensorial Ethnography
    • Ethnography and the Aesthetics of Religion

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Sufi Devotional Aesthetics: Fieldwork in Contemporary Sufi Communities in the Balkans'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this