Invisible Lines
Invisible Lines is an international project to promote the production, circulation and internationalisation of comics, graphic novel and illustration. Invisible Lines is co-financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and operated by four European partners from the publishing and cultural sector: Fondazione Giorgio Cini Onlus (Italy – coordinator); Central Vapeur (France); Hamelin APS (Italy); […]
Esoteric Transfers and Constructions. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
“Esoteric Transfers and Constructions is an important and original volume that brings together an impressive cast of scholars around a critical theme in the study of Western esotericism: namely, the critical links between Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mystical traditions. This volume should be of tremendous interest to anyone working in the areas of Western esotericism, […]
Photographic Exhibition Sufis: A Look at the Mystics of Contemporary Islam
Sufis: A Look at the Mystics of Contemporary Islam (vernissage) Friday 25 October 2019 – 5.00pm TOKO, Statiestraat 139, Berchem Kif Kif, TOKO and the Arabic Studies department of the KULeuven present the beautiful photographs of Francesco Piraino. The aim of this exhibition is to show different facets of contemporary Sufism as a religious, cultural […]
A Sufi, a Map, and the Crafty Serenissima
I’m thrilled to present to you the book Global Sufism: Boundaries, Strucutres, and Politics that I co-edited with Prof. Mark Sedgwick. I’m particularly proud because in this book we discuss a range of quite different topics, such as rap, literature, international politics, Sufi doctrines, etc., and because this book possesses a good balance between young and confirmed […]
Some Preliminary Thoughts with Pictures on Sufi Festivals
Sufi festivals are mushrooming, influencing how Sufism is perceived both inside and outside Islamic communities. Some of them are financed by national states, others are independent, some express Islamic and Sufi orthodoxy, others represent a universal and de-Islamised knowledge. Hence, it is difficult to generalize about possible common trends. What is certain is that there […]
A Short Algerian reportage: Sufis of Temacine
These pictures depict the story of my trip to Temacine (Algeria), a small town and oasis facing the Sahara, in the South-East of the country. In January 2018, I spent 10 days with the Tijaniyya Sufi order, which is among the most important orders in the world, especially influential in Maghreb and West Africa. […]
Mamma Schiavona
Mamma Schiavona, literally “Mother Slave”, is an icon of the Virgin Mary situated in the sanctuary of Montevergine, near Avellino in the southern Italy. Mamma Schiavona is celebrated on 12 September-the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary-and on 2 February-Candlemas, the presentation of Jesus at the Temple-with the iuta , that is, the climb […]
A workshop dedicated to the Arabic-Islamic calligraphy
On March 9th I, together with Prof. Ida Zilio Grandi of Ca’ Foscari University, organised a workshop dedicated to the Arabic-Islamic calligraphy. The following invited speakers introduced the topic to the audience: prof. Andrea Brigaglia (Cape Town University, South Africa), Prof. Michele Petrone (Copenhagen University, Denmark), Prof. Aymon Kreil (Ghent University, Belgium) and Prof. Paolo […]
Sufism and Politics in Contemporary Societies: Ethics and Democracy
The Sufi renewal of the 21st century, in particular in Europe and the Maghreb, is characterised by charismatic Sufi Masters, considered as “living saints”, such as Shaykh Nazim (Naqshbandiyya), Shaykh Hamza (Būdshīshiyya), Muzafer Ozak (Jerrahiyya-Khalwatiyya) and Shaykh Bentounes (ʿAlāwiyya). These Sufi Masters were capable of attracting new disciples from different cultures, ethnicities, social classes, and […]