IISS is pleased to announce our first book workshop of the semester with Prof. Alexander Knysh on his most recent book Sufism: A New History of Islamic Mysticism. Prof. Knysh's new monograph explores the history and intellectual vicissitudes of Islamic mystical and philosophical thought in historical perspective. The distinctive aspect of the New History is a comparative element, which is present in almost all of its six chapters: Muslim approaches to Sufism are compared with Orientalist ones, while Sufi discourses are contrasted with Neoplatonic, Jewish and Christian traditions. This groundbreaking monograph is critical not only for understanding the complex phenomenon that is Sufism, but also for gaining insight into the significant methodological issues of modern historiography.