Overview

Sufi oral discourse in Senegal is overwhelmingly dominated by stories about past and current shaykhs. An important corpus of oral narratives about Sufi clerics is not only (re)told by Sufi speakers throughout Senegal but also in the Senegalese diasporas in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. These accounts are interwoven by multiple speakers among followers of Senegalese Sufi brotherhoods and passed down from generation to generation in Senegal and its diasporas. The weaving together and spreading of such texts themselves are part of the Sufi praxis. These oral texts, deeply rooted in their context of production, which dictates their form and functions, are still generally unknown to scholars of Islam in Senegal and West Africa. By filling this gap, this book contributes to the discourse of religions in general and Sufi Islam in particular.

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9781433119903

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In this remarkable study, Mamarame Seck provides a richly detailed ethnographic exploration of oral narratives from the Sufi communities of Senegal and their diaspora. His discourse analysis illuminates the linguistic function of the stories of Sufi saints and provides valuable examples of these tales. Students of Islamic mysticism and African studies will welcome this important contribution to the study of Sufism. (Carl W. Ernst, Kenan Distinguished Professor, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

In this remarkable study, Mamarame Seck provides a richly detailed ethnographic exploration of oral narratives from the Sufi communities of Senegal and their diaspora. His discourse analysis illuminates the linguistic function of the stories of Sufi saints and provides valuable examples of these tales. Students of Islamic mysticism and African studies will welcome this important contribution to the study of Sufism. (Carl W. Ernst, Kenan Distinguished Professor, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Author Information

Mamarame Seck is a native of Senegal. He received his PhD in linguistics from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is Assistant Professor in the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His recent publications include a chapter in Communication Wolof et Societé Sénégalaise : Héritage et Création.

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