Kameliya Atanasova Publishes Her First Book The assistant professor of religion and history authored a book titled “Sufism and Power in the Ottoman Empire: The Writings of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653–1725).”

By Brian Laubscher
June 3, 2025

Kameliya Atanasova, assistant professor of religion and history at Washington and Lee University, published her first book, “Sufism and Power in the Ottoman Empire: The Writings of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653–1725),” by the Edinburgh University Press on May 31, 2025.

Atanasova is an Islam scholar specializing in Sufism, a mystical tradition within Islam that focuses on the direct, personal experience of God. Her book examines the life and writings of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653-1725), a prominent Ottoman Sufi master and Quranic interpreter, to challenge common narratives about Islamic mysticism and political power. She contends that Bursevi, one of the most prolific writers in Ottoman history, crafted his religious authority through strategic self-promotion rather than traditional charismatic leadership, positioning himself as a key religious figure while advising Ottoman officials during a period of intense intellectual competition.

“I am thrilled to see the fruits of so many years of research and to be able to share my findings with students and colleagues,” said Atanasova. “When I first started working on my project years ago, there was very little scholarship on the early-modern Ottoman Empire. Because of economic decline and military losses, it was thought to be a period of intellectual stagnation. My research on Bursevi reveals a different truth — that, against the odds, the teacher-scholars of the time not only produced impressive output but were also politically active in defending the moral necessity of their work, ensuring that powerful officials remained mindful of the religious ethics that bound them.”

By analyzing previously untranslated Arabic and Ottoman Turkish manuscripts, the book reveals how Sufism was intertwined with political ambitions and institutional power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The study contributes to growing scholarship on Ottoman religious politics by demonstrating how influential mystics like Bursevi navigated complex relationships between spiritual authority, political influence and social competition in the early modern Islamic world.

“While doing trailblazing work — in academia or otherwise — is not easy, I hope my story reminds our students and alumni that taking the uncharted path in pursuit of knowledge is worthwhile,” said Atanasova. “It has certainly been so for me, and I have without a doubt become a better teacher-scholar in the process.”

Atanasova has been a faculty member at W&L since 2017. In addition to her work in the Religion and History Departments, she also serves as a core faculty member for the Middle East and South Asia Studies program. She earned a B.A. in Asian/Middle Eastern studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in religious (Islamic) studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

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