Mark Sedgwick
Encyclopedia
Mark Sedgwick is a British
/Irish
historian
specializing in traditionalism
, Islam
, Sufi mysticism
, and terrorism
. He is secretary of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
.
at Harrow School
and Worcester College, Oxford
. He did his PhD in Norway
at the University of Bergen.
in 1990, Sedgwick encountered Sufis from both the Naqshbandiyya tariqa and the Traditionalist
Maryamiyya. However, he did not join either group. He started research on Traditionalism in 1996.
at the American University in Cairo
, Egypt
. In 2007 he moved to Aarhus University, Denmark
as Coordinator of the Arab and Islamic Studies Unit. He is also project leader of a research project on Islam, Muslims and Danish Schools. His books have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, and Serbian.
Sedgwick has been accused of “an undisclosed personal history with Traditionalism,” and therefore of having “a personal and undisclosed bias against Traditionalism.” He has also been accused of being a secret Traditionalist Sufi and part of a conspiracy against Enlightenment values. He has pointed out that both charges can hardly be true at the same time, and explained that his personal history with Traditionalism was early and limited. He claims this did not result in any bias, one way or the other.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
specializing in traditionalism
Traditionalist School
The term Traditionalist School is used by Mark Sedgwick and other authors to denote a school of thought, also known as Integral Traditionalism or Perennialism to denote an esoteric movement developed by authors such as French metaphysician René Guénon, German-Swiss...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Sufi mysticism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. He is secretary of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism
The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism is Europe's only scholarly society for the study of Western esotericism. Founded in 2005, the society promotes academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present, and works to secure the...
.
Education
Sedgwick was educated in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Worcester College, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He did his PhD in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
at the University of Bergen.
Encounter with Sufism and Traditionalism
While living in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1990, Sedgwick encountered Sufis from both the Naqshbandiyya tariqa and the Traditionalist
Traditionalist School
The term Traditionalist School is used by Mark Sedgwick and other authors to denote a school of thought, also known as Integral Traditionalism or Perennialism to denote an esoteric movement developed by authors such as French metaphysician René Guénon, German-Swiss...
Maryamiyya. However, he did not join either group. He started research on Traditionalism in 1996.
Career
Sedgwick first taught historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In 2007 he moved to Aarhus University, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
as Coordinator of the Arab and Islamic Studies Unit. He is also project leader of a research project on Islam, Muslims and Danish Schools. His books have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, and Serbian.
Controversy
Sedgwick has been identified as a Muslim convert, also known as Abd al-Azim.Sedgwick has been accused of “an undisclosed personal history with Traditionalism,” and therefore of having “a personal and undisclosed bias against Traditionalism.” He has also been accused of being a secret Traditionalist Sufi and part of a conspiracy against Enlightenment values. He has pointed out that both charges can hardly be true at the same time, and explained that his personal history with Traditionalism was early and limited. He claims this did not result in any bias, one way or the other.
Works
- Sufism: The Essentials. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2000.
- Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century. Oxford University Press, 2004.
- "Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism" Terrorism and Political Violence 2004
- Saints and Sons: The Making and Remaking of the Rashidi Ahmadi Sufi Order, 1799-2000. Brill, 2005.
- Islam and Muslims: A Guide to Diverse Experience in a Modern World. Boston: Intercultural Press, 2006.
- Muhammad Abduh. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009.