THE WESTERN SUFI IS A SOCIAL PORTRAIT

This study examines the intercultural reception of Sufism in the West through two key figures: George of Hungary (15th c.) and Ivan Aguéli (19th–20th c.). George, a Dominican enslaved in the Ottoman Empire, briefly engaged in Sufi practices before returning to Christianity, leaving one of the earliest European accounts of dervishes and Sufi poetry. His writings combine admiration with critique, revealing the cultural impact of Ottoman Sufism on early modern Europe. Centuries later, the Swedish artist and theosophist Ivan Aguéli embraced Islam and Sufism, translating classical texts and linking Sufi thought with Western philosophy, theosophy, and avant-garde aesthetics. A comparison of these cases shows how Sufism was variously perceived as a spiritual challenge, an intellectual resource, and a universalist framework. The article highlights the shift in Western attitudes from Renaissance suspicion to modernist appropriation, laying foundations for the emergence of Western Sufism.