2024 CFSACK Research Awards Receipients
We are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2024 CFSACK Research Awards. Each scholar has demonstrated innovative thinking and a deep commitment to advancing our collective knowledge of Sufi arts, culture, and practice. Please join us in congratulating them on their outstanding achievements.
These research projects will contribute valuable insights to an open-access repository maintained by CFSACK, ensuring these discoveries can spark further inquiry and collaboration. We extend our warmest congratulations to all our 2024 awardees and look forward to following their progress in the coming months and years.

Hande Gür
PhD Candidate, University of Alberta
From felting wool to wearing felt: Sufi training as a framework for embodied knowledge and research
Sufi—or mystical Islamic—pedagogy involves various forms of apprenticeship, where knowledge is transmitted through embodied practice, repetitive rhythms, and observation rather than direct instruction. This training process, which shapes both the student and the material, reflects a Sufi view of spiritual development that proceeds from doing to knowing to being.
Drawing on ethnographic study in Konya, Türkiye, this research investigates how such a perspective is cultivated in contemporary Sufi spirituality, particularly through felt-making and whirling. As wool transforms into felt, the practitioner undergoes a similar process of self-refinement under a master’s subtle guidance—a journey that parallels the evolution from novice to whirling dervish. The project will also highlight how these insights can inform a more embodied, reflexive approach to ethnographic research.

Poulami Das
PhD Student, University of Toronto
Sacred Geographies of Sufism: Material Culture and Memory Making at Ghazi Shrines in Bengal
Poulami is a third-year PhD student at the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the ghāzīs, or warrior Sufis of Bengal, and the influence of built spaces—particularly shrines (dargāhs)—on contemporary cultural memory and practice.
Although historically linked to military conquests in frontier regions, these ghāzīs are now remembered in Bengal’s religious imagination as miracle-working saints (pīrs) and foundational figures in the region’s Islamic heritage. By examining the material culture of these shrines—their architectural layouts, images, motifs, and Arabic inscriptions—this research explores how space shapes lived religion and collective memory. Employing extensive ethnographic fieldwork and an analysis of performative devotional practices, Poulami aims to move beyond hagiographical interpretations and better understand the tangible heritage of Bengal’s Sufi traditions.

Geneviève Mercier-Dalphond
Postdoctoral Fellow, Quebec General Delegation in Paris – Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)
South Asian Sufism, Inayatiyya & the French Connection: From Orientalism to Striving Spiritualities
Dr. Mercier-Dalphond’s work investigates contemporary expressions of South Asian Sufism, focusing on diasporic (re)connections to the teachings of Inayat Khan (1882–1927). This project examines changing sacred landscapes, leadership styles, and Islamic orientations within Sufi communities in Pakistan and India, particularly in the Inayatiyya order.
Through comparative study, Dr. Mercier-Dalphond aims to understand modern expressions of spirituality and authority that trace their lineage to Inayat Khan, including how these dynamics have spread to North America and Western Europe—especially France. As an important hub of knowledge and sacrality outside South Asia, France plays a key role in sustaining the global outreach of the Inayati branch. Fieldwork in Pakistan, India, and France will highlight how these connections evolve and reshape the order’s spiritual direction today.

Sahver Kuzucuoglu
PhD Candidate, Wilfred Laurier University
The experiences of the “minority-within-a-minority” among Jerrahi Sufis and Turkic communities in Canada, examining themes of Islam, Sufism, and multiculturalism in North America.
In the Turkish diaspora, the interplay between inherited Turkic identities and the Sufi path has shaped a distinctive cultural and spiritual dynamic. Figures like Yunus Emre and Mevlânâ Celaluddin Rumi, emblematic of historical Turkic Sufism, offer powerful models that challenge any strict East/West dichotomy and highlight the syncretic nature of Turkic traditions.
Muserref’s research explores how individuals in the Jerrahi Sufi Order of Canada, the primary Jerrahi center in Istanbul, and the KW Turkish Cultural Association embody this identity blend. Their collective experience illuminates how religion, pluralism, and culture coexist seamlessly—underscoring a worldview that embraces and rather than or. Understanding this tapestry of intercultural identity provides a deeper insight into Sufism and multiculturalism in North America.

Maryam Rezayi
PhD Candidate, University of Manitoba
Ruzbihan Baqli and Ibn Arabi’s Mystical Insights on “Time” and “Selfhood”
Maryam’s project aims to develop a new university course, Rumi and Persian Wisdom, in tandem with organizing workshops and conferences that highlight Persian intellectual traditions. Through an in-depth study of Rumi, Hafez, and other pivotal figures, the course will explore Persian Sufi mysticism and its ongoing relevance to modern spirituality and critical thought.
By incorporating creative activities like calligraphy, poetic art, and storytelling, Maryam hopes to provide a holistic learning experience bridging culture, literature, and religious studies. The associated workshops and conferences will unite scholars, artists, and students to engage in discussions around Persian philosophy and mysticism—ultimately contributing to a broader understanding of Sufi studies and inspiring similar initiatives at other academic institutions.