Sufi Practices and Knowledge through Surrender 08.07.2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Sufi Practices and Knowledge through Surrender 08.07.2025

by Dr. Lili Di Puppo (CAS-E Fellow) “Sufi Practices and Knowledge through Surrender: Developing a New Knowledge Approach in and for Uncertain Times” Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Sufi circles in Belgium, I explore how contemporary Muslims find inspiration in the Islamic knowledge tradition to respond to the challenges humankind faces in the contemporary world. I examine how my interlocutors reflect on their daily existence and the experiences and wisdom they encounter on their spiritual paths when confronted with current challenges such as wars, pandemics, the ecological crisis and the potential threats posed by AI. In the ceremonies I attend and in my conversations with Sufi disciples, an approach to knowledge emerges that I call “knowledge through surrender”. This form of knowledge means cultivating attentiveness to the world, its wonders and mysteries, being receptive to the presence of God in creation, and cultivating awareness of the invisible dimensions of existence. This position of surrendering that my interlocutors adopt and that I also encounter during my fieldwork contrasts with a conventional scientific approach, in which ideals of predictability and control and the belief that scientific knowledge is able to anticipate and mitigate contemporary threats are foregrounded. I reflect on how an experiential knowledge influences my own methodological approach, unveiling parallels between anthropological fieldwork and the spiritual journey as a continuous exploration and transformation of the self. “The speaker has authorized the use of this content on YouTube by CAS-E through the execution of the required copyright consent forms. This video may contain copyrighted material used with permission from the copyright owner or in accordance with fair use provisions under applicable copyright laws. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of any part of this content is strictly prohibited.”