The books listed address the broad sweep of Sufism, historically and sociologically. They are a mix of encyclopedic sources, historical overviews, literary translations, and specialized ethnographic studies that provide the beginning student of Sufism with a basic foundation for further inquiry...
Loren D. Lybarger and the Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI)
Loren D. Lybarger is an associate professor in the Department of Classics and World Religions at Ohio University, Athens, where he teaches Introduction to Islam; Sufism—Islamic Mysticism and Asceticism; Political Islam; Theories of Religion; Religion and Violence; and Introduction to the Study of Religion. He also created and directs Ohio University’s Certificate Program in Islamic Studies. He is the author of Identity and Religion in Palestine: The Struggle between Secularism and Islamism in the Occupied Territories (Princeton 2007). He is currently finishing a book titled, Religion and the Crisis of Secularism in Palestinian Chicago: Transformation of Identity in Exile.
MESPI is a curated interactive platform for ME studies resources specifically tailored for the needs of teachers, researchers, and students. It will be the one-stop shop for course design on the macro level, lesson planning on the micro level, and for scholarship vis-a-vis specific topics, countries, and disciplines. Contact us at info@ArabStudiesInstitute.org.
MESPI Core Team
Bassam Haddad, Co-Director
Ziad Abu-Rish, Co-Director
Nadya Sbaiti, NEWTON Coordinator
Rosie Bsheer, MESPI Editor
Mekarem Eljamal, MESPI Associate Editor
Jacob Bessen, Essential Readings Coordinator
Maddie Vagadori, MESPI Website Coordinator
Shakeela Omar, Peer-Review Articles Review Coordinator
Claire Christensen, Peer-Review Articles Review Co-Coordinator
Jonathan Adler, Essential Texts Coordinator
Willa Hart, Peer-Review Articles Review Co-Coordinator
Michael Haddad, Media Roundups Coordinator
Kylie Broderick, ASI Liaison