By Emily Sok, Published April 19, 2024
Email: bgatling@gmu.edu
GMU Profile: https://english.gmu.edu/people/bgatling
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bengatling?lang=en
Benjamin Gatling is an associate professor of English and the Director of MAIS, an Interdisciplinary Studies Program, both at George Mason University. His scholarship has centered on oral narrative, performance, ethnography of communication, Persianate oral traditions, and Islam in Central Asia.
Benjamin’s 2018 book titled Expressions of Sufi Culture in Tajikistan is an ethnography that examines cultural elements of Muslim men in Tajikistan who are preparing to become Sufi mystics. Gatling sheds light on how Sufi practices intersect with local traditions, and their role in shaping the cultural identity of Tajik society. Through expressive forms – rituals, poetry, music, stories, and memories – Sufism can be seen as challenging oppressive religious politics of present day Tajikistan. See this review of Gatling’s book here, written by Tom Mould.
Take a look at some of Benjamin Gatling’s work:
The Virginia Community Writing Collaborative 