The 2023 section of the project titled ‘A Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Sufi Thought, Literature, Music and Rituals,’ jointly conducted by Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies and Kyoto University, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, is concluding with a conference on August 28th. Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Director of the Institute for Sufi Studies, made a statement regarding the project, which started in 2022 and will last for 6 years: “Universities in Japan are showing interest in Sufi texts from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. They know Old Turkish. This project offers a unique opportunity for Japanese researchers to examine Turkish commentaries where the Masnavi is interpreted with Fusûsu'l-Hikem and Fusûsu’n Masnavi, as a characteristic of Ottoman Sufi thought, and to get to know the Ottoman commentary tradition more closely.” Stating that the program is open to everyone, Erhan invited everyone to listen to and evaluate the project's results.
Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies met with Japan in a joint project.
The Project is Supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies is conducting a joint project with Kyoto University, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies (ASAFAS, Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies). Prof. Yasushi Tonaga is managing the project titled ‘Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals’.
The project, which will continue for 6 years, is supported by ‘The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)’, an organization that funds scientific research in Japan.
The initial activities within the project began in Turkey in November 2022 with a meeting at Üsküdar University. Afterwards, the Japanese delegation visited Konya for their studies on Mevlevism and held discussions under the coordination of the International Mevlana Foundation.
Field Research for the Project Has Started
The project group that came to Istanbul in August for the 2023 field studies includes Prof. Dr. Yasushi Tonaga, Prof. Dr. Masayuki Akahori, Prof. Dr. Nobua Misawa, Dr. Manami Suzuki, and Azusa Fujimoto. The delegation began its field research program by making its first contacts with Esin Çelebi Bayru, President of the International Mevlana Foundation, through an invitation organized by the Institute for Sufi Studies.
Prof. Tonaga held meetings with the project's Turkish delegation, including Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi, Deputy Director of the Institute for Sufi Studies, Lecturer Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören, and Dr. Lecturer Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar.
As part of the field research, Prof. Dr. Mim Kemal Öke and Dr. Savaş Barkçin were hosted at meetings held at the Institute for Sufi Studies on August 20. During these discussions, the historical, sociological, and cultural aspects of Anatolian wisdom were addressed, with Prof. Dr. Öke focusing on Mevlevism and Dr. Barkçin on the musical aspect of the topic.
The studies will continue with the contributions of Institute faculty member and IRSICA President, former Jakarta Ambassador Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, and former Vatican Ambassador Prof. Dr. Kenan Gürsoy. In these discussions, the topic of 'Anatolian Wisdom' will be examined in various dimensions, especially Sufi thought and philosophy.
The 2023 Section Concludes with a Conference on August 28th
The 2023 section of the project will conclude with the final conference titled ‘Bridging Mystical Philosophy and Arts in Sufism: Poetry, Music and Sama’ Ritual’ on Monday, August 28, 2023.
This stage of the program, which is also part of Üsküdar University's activities organized for the 750th anniversary of Mevlana's (Hz.) passing, will address the topic of Mevlevism.
The opening session of the final conference of 2023, to be held at Üsküdar University Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, will feature Rector Advisor Cemalnur Sargut, Institute faculty member and IRCICA President (former Jakarta Ambassador) Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Prof. Dr. Yasushi Tonaga from Kyoto University, and Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak, Vice-Rector of Üsküdar University, as the host on behalf of the University. The first session of the program will begin with a session chaired by Prof. Dr. Kenan Gürsoy, former Vatican Ambassador, who gives lectures on “Civilization” in the Institute's doctoral program. In the sessions, students and faculty from the Institute for Sufi Studies will make presentations: Master's student Petek Kutucuoğlu on ‘Ahmed Avni Konuk's Commentary on the Masnavi and the Concept of Disposition’; Lecturer Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören on ‘Dimensions of Sufi Thought in Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi’; Deputy Institute Director Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi on ‘The Influence of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi in Turkish Sufi Literature: Stories from the Masnavi’; Prof. Dr. V. Emre Ömürlü, who is pursuing a second doctorate at the Institute, on ‘Mevlevi Mukabeles (Responses) in Mevlevi Rituals and Their Forms of Performance in Some Tarikats’; Dr. Lecturer Dilek Güldütuna on ‘Sama Ritual and Seyrü Sülûk’; and Dr. Lecturer F. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar on ‘Mevlevihanes: Civil and Civilizing Spaces’. Four researchers from Japan will participate in the program.
The conference will conclude with a general discussion titled ‘Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of Sufism’, moderated by Dr. Lecturer Zülfikar.
“We are pleased with the interest shown by universities in Japan in Sufi texts.”
Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Director of Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies, commented on the project: “Our joint studies with Kyoto University, which began in 2016, are growing and interlinking with Professor Yasushi Tonaga's collaborations in Japan and the doctoral students he has mentored. We, who have the grace to understand the most refined form of Sufi thought in our geography, are also pleased with the interest shown by universities in Japan in Seljuk and Ottoman Sufi texts. They know Old Turkish. Publications accessible to researchers who do not know Turkish on these topics are not yet available. This project is a unique opportunity for Japanese researchers to examine Turkish commentaries where the Masnavi is interpreted with Fusûsu'l-Hikem and Fusûsu’n Masnavi, as a characteristic of Ottoman Sufi thought, and to get to know the Ottoman commentary tradition. Mevlana (Hz.) and Mevlevism have not been extensively studied in Japan. Ottoman historiography exists. In terms of Sufi thought, internationally renowned Ibn-i Arabi experts like Toshihiko Izutsu have a significant influence in their academic traditions. The project atmosphere offers opportunities to explore gaps. Of course, it requires in-depth studies. This is, of course, our Institute's perspective on the matter. The current project is a comprehensive Sufi study; in the first layer, for the first 4 years, the Japanese research group conducts more socio-anthropological surveys, and the findings include results from historical/cultural history perspectives, as well as addressing the popular perception of Sufism in society through music, rituals, and symbols. Our faculty members at the Institute for Sufi Studies are deepening the project in terms of Sufi thought, history, and literature through primary sources. Our program is open to everyone interested. We invite everyone to listen to and evaluate the project's results together.”
Participation in the conference, which will be broadcast live on Üsküdar University TV, is free of charge, and simultaneous Turkish and English translation will be provided.