Welcome to the website of the European Network for the Study of Islam and Esotericism (ENSIE).
The ENSIE was established in 2016 to bridge the gap between the study of Islamic esotericism and mysticism and the study of Western Esotericism. It is affiliated to the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE).
ENSIE's mission is to help scholars of Islamic esotericism and mysticism to benefit from the understandings and perspectives that have been achieved in the study of Western Esotericism, and to help scholars of Western Esotericism benefit from knowledge of Islamic esotericism. There are also benefits in areas where the distinction between “Islamic” and “Western” does not really make sense, for example in the medieval period, when Western esotericists drew heavily on Arab and Islamic sources, and in the modern period, when Western esotericists have again drawn on Islamic sources, and when Western esotericism has also been received in the Muslim world, especially in Turkey, but also elsewhere.
ENSIE runs a blog for announcements and discussions, arranges and contributes to conferences, and arranges publications.
ENSIE is registered as a voluntary association under Danish law (number 43555138) and is managed by a board consisting of:
- Mark Sedgwick, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, Aarhus University (president).
- Liana Saif, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam (secretary).
- Francesco Piraino, Postdoc, Ca' Foscari University, Venice (treasurer).
- Antonio de Diego González, Assistant Professor, University of Malaga.
- Douglas Farrer, Lecturer, University of Exeter.
- Emily Selove, Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter.
- Eyad Abuali, Research Associate, Cardiff University.
The Articles of Association of ENSIE are available here.
Contact: info@ensie.site