Roles and the Position of Women in Sufi Brotherhoods in Senegal

Author: Bop, Codou

Source: Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 73, Number 4, 20 December 2005 , pp. 1099-1119(21)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

A new trend in research on Sufi brotherhoods attempts to assess the presence, visibility, and dynamism of Muslim women. According to their authors the Sufi brotherhoods, contrary to orthodox Islam, not only provide women with autonomous space to express their spirituality but allow them into public spheres. Yet, a closer examination of the brotherhood as systems of power reveals that the majority of women in Sufi brotherhoods are marginalized through the ideological constructions of divine grace or baraka, impurity, and the image of the ideal Sufi woman. Moreover, women lack knowledge that is central for being respected as a learned religious person. To overcome these structural obstacles women engage in several strategies to subvert their prescribed roles in Islam and accommodate it to their needs. In particular, Senegalese women are using secular mechanisms to challenge their place in society and gain the power denied to women in religious spheres.

Keywords: WTO Doha Round; agriculture; developing countries; special and differential treatment

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfi116

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$35.09 plus tax Refund Policy