Shamanism and Islam
Sufism, Healing Rituals and Spirits in the Muslim World
Thierry Zarcone, Angela Hobart, Thierry Zarcone, Angela Hobart
- 408 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Shamanism and Islam
Sufism, Healing Rituals and Spirits in the Muslim World
Thierry Zarcone, Angela Hobart, Thierry Zarcone, Angela Hobart
About This Book
Here, Thierry Zarcone and Angela Hobart offer a vigorous and authoritative exploration of the link between Islam and shamanism in contemporary Muslim culture, examining how the old practice of shamanism was combined with elements of Sufism in order to adapt to wider Islamic society. Shamanism and Islam thus surveys shamanic practices in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, to show how the Muslim shaman, like his Siberian counterpart, cultivated personal relations with spirits to help individuals through healing and divination. It explores the complexities and variety of rituals, involving music, dance and, in some regions, epic and bardic poetry, demonstrating the close links between shamanism and the various arts of the Islamic world. This is the first in-depth exploration of 'Islamized shamanism', and is a valuable contribution to the field of Islamic Studies, Religion, Anthropology, and an understanding of the Middle East more widely.