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2004 Season
 Carl W. Ernst is a specialist in Islamic studies, with a focus on West and South Asia. His published research, based on the study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, has been mainly devoted to the study of Islam and Sufism. His most recent book, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World(UNC Press, 2003), has been awarded the 2004 Bashrahil Prize for Outstanding Cultural Achievement. Current projects include Muslim interpretations of Hinduism and the literary translation of the Qur'an. His publications include Sufi Martyrs of Love: Chishti Sufism in South Asia and Beyond (co-authored with Bruce Lawrence, 2002); Teachings of Sufism (1999); a translation of The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master by Ruzbihan Baqli (1997);Guide to Sufism (1997); Ruzbihan Baqli: Mystical Experience and the Rhetoric of Sainthood in Persian Sufism (1996); Eternal Garden: Mysticism, History, and Politics at a South Asian Sufi Center (1993); and Words of Ecstasy in Sufism (1985). He studied comparative religion at Stanford University (A.B. 1973) and Harvard University (Ph.D. 1981), and has done research tours in India (1978-79, 1981), Pakistan (1986, 2000), and Turkey (1991), and has also visited Iran (1996, 1999) and Uzbekistan (2003). He has taught at Pomona College (1981-1992) and has been appointed as visiting lecturer in Paris (1991, 2003), Seville (2001), and Kuala Lumpur (2005). A faculty member of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1992, and department chair 1995-2000, he is now Zachary Smith Professor.
Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (2003)
Sufi Martyrs of Love: Chishti Sufism in South Asia and Beyond (2002)
Teachings of Sufism (1999)
Ruzbihan Baqli. The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master (1997)
The Shambhala Guide to Sufism (1997)
Ruzbihan Baqli: Mystical Experience and the Rhetoric of Sainthood in Persian Sufism (1996)
Eternal Garden: Mysticism, History, and Politics at a South Asian Sufi Center (1992)
Words of Ecstasy in Sufism (1984)
From Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World
by Carl W. Ernst
Preface
What images are conjured today by the word "Islam"? Walk into any bookstore, and you will initially be drawn to a stack of breathless titles that are truly frightening. These journalistic exposés reveal worlds of terrorist intrigue and plots against the United States. Alongside these instant potboilers are books with a more sober tone, delivering with masterful condescension the verdict of failure upon Islamic civilization, and the promise of an apocalyptic clash between Islam and the West. Tucked into a corner one may find a few academic surveys of Islamic theology and history, written in the tedious and excruciating prose reserved for textbooks. There may also be a couple of apologetics written by Muslims, attempting to defend Islam against any accusations. Finally, and most impenetrable of all, there will be two or three translations of the Qur'an, a foreign text that remains an enigmatic and unreadable cipher. How can anyone make sense of all this?
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