Sufism in Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Europe

Sufism in Ottoman and Post‑Ottoman Europe: Entanglements in Past and Present offers the first in‑depth, regionally nuanced study of Sufi networks, legacies, and transformations across Southeastern Europe from the Ottoman period through the contemporary post‑socialist era.

Spanning multiple centuries and cultural contexts, this volume explores the intricate interactions between Sufi communities and broader religious, political, and social landscapes. From the conceptual merging of Alevi‑Bektashism and the visual culture of ʿAlid piety, to the impact of Western esotericism, Turkish soft power, and digital revivalism, contributors examine the dynamic and often contested role of Sufism in shaping memory, authority, and identity across diverse geographies. Through richly detailed case studies – from Bosnia and Macedonia to Germany and Turkey – the chapters interrogate how Sufi actors respond to shifting nationalist narratives, contested memory cultures, and local‑global entanglements. This book also traces how sacred spaces, pilgrimage practices, and charismatic leadership adapt over time, illuminating the multi‑layered negotiations between tradition, modernity, and political power.

A vital contribution to the study of Sufism, Islamic history, and Balkan and Ottoman legacies, this book is essential reading for scholars of religious studies, anthropology, Middle East and Islamic studies, and European cultural history.

Cem Kara is a professor of Alevi Theology at the University of Hamburg, Germany. In his award‑winning dissertation (Grenzen überschreitende Derwische, 2019), he examined the transcultural history of the Bektashi order in the long 19th century. His current research focuses on ambiguities and emotions in Alevi textual sources.

Evelyn Reuter is a research fellow in Religious Studies at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany. She explores religious diversity and governance in Southeast Europe, focusing on Sufis and interreligious contacts. Her monography, Die Mehrdeutigkeit geteilter religiöser Orte (2021), examines shared religious spaces in Macedonia.

Zsófia Turóczy is a university assistant (postdoc) at the University of Graz. She defended her doctoral thesis, “Freemason Networks in Southeast Europe (1886–1920)”, at Leipzig University in 2023. Her fields of interest include literature and cultural history of Southeast Europe, focusing on Albania, Kosovo, Turkey, and Hungary.