Gender and Sufism in Western Scholarship: Contemporary Constructions and Contestations

In this article I examine the trajectory of contemporary scholarship on gender and Sufism in the West written for English-speaking audiences, with reference to key scholars as well as contexts that have influenced their scholarship. While not aspiring to be comprehensive, this survey offers an overview of an emerging and significant field of study that has developed rapidly in recent decades. After detailing early and seminal studies in the field, an attempt is made to summarize how new textual and field-based scholarship has opened new insights into the subject, and also has led to interpretive debates concerning some significant findings and their broader social relevance.