In a Foucaultian Perspective Sufism As An Art of Existence

Year 2012, Issue: 18 - Kaygı (18) 2012, 153 - 164, 15.04.2012

Özkan Gözel

Abstract

This work is composed of two parts. In the first part, we examine two principles of Antic culture, namely ‘to know oneself’ and ‘to take care of the self,” which are linked strictly one to another, by underlying some similarities between this culture and sufi practices. And in the second part we focuse merely on sufism, its conceptions and practices concerning the improvement of the self which is supposed, in sufism, to be linked internally to the exploration of the truth. In fact, the present work, which sees sufism not only as an abstract seach for truth but also as an art of existence with ists concret implications, focuses on some strict connections between the (search for) truth and sufi practices which prepare the sâlik (the seeker) to receive the truth by refashioning his whole existence.

Keywords

Sufism, Self, Askesis, Ethos, Aletheia, Sâlik, Seyr-u suluk

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