Jamila Rodrigues, "Sufi Women, Embodiment and the 'Self': Gender in Islamic Ritual" (Routledge, 2023)
Jamila Rodrigues's new book\xa0Sufi Women, Embodiment and the \u201cSelf\u201d: Gender in Islamic Ritual\xa0(Routledge 2023) uses her dance and performance studies background to study women\u2019s\xa0hadra\xa0or\xa0zikr\xa0experiences of a Naqshbandi Sufi community in Cape Town, South Africa. This ritual includes engagement with sacred texts, music, and bodily movement with the aim of reaching union with Allah. This focused study on women\u2019s bodily movement during\xa0zikr\xa0and women\u2019s understanding of the mind and soul provides fascinating insights of\xa0what constitutes the \u201cself\u201d\xa0via ritual and performance studies.\xa0Rodrigues also uses auto-ethnography to situate some of this discussion on embodiment. The book will be of interest to anthropologists, Sufi studies scholars, and performance studies scholars.\n\ufeffShobhana Xavier is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Queen\u2019s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found\xa0here\xa0and\xa0here. She may be reached at\xa0shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies