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xi Acknowledgments The list of people who were essential in bringing this book to life is too long to enumerate; any attempt to acknowledge all who helped me will necessarily fall short. I owe a great deal to Greg Urban, Asif Agha, Brian Spooner, Bruce Grant, and Stephen Hopkins, as well as to countless colleagues at the University of Vermont. The members of my writing group—Danilyn Rutherford, Vicki Brennan, Andrea Voyer, Jennifer Dickinson, Kabir Tambar , and Kelda Jamison—were particularly helpful in transforming aspects of the book in its late stages. Pablo Bose has also provided indispensable perspective in formulating the book’s basic questions. My debt of gratitude to Ismaʿilis around the world is great. Innumerable individuals involved in the Aga Khan Foundation, the Institute for Ismaʿili Studies, and the Ismaʿili Secretariat have been of assistance. Of particular note in this regard are Rafique Keshavjee, Aleem Walji, Azim Nanji, AniseWaljee, and Tom Kessinger. In Gorno-Badakhshan, no individual was more important for my work than Shodmon Hojibekov. Without him this book could not exist. Essential help was provided by Harpreet Singh and Salima Samji. Sarfaroz Niyozov,OlimshoVatanshoev, Dagi Dagiev, Sharofat Mamadambarova, Nasirand RozaVirani, and Sultonbek Aksakolov were all also particularly helpful for my work inTajikistan. I am grateful to the entire staff of the Aga Khan Humanities Project in Dushanbe. Khaleel Tetlay was important for my research in both Tajikistan and Pakistan. I received crucial assistance for my research in Pakistan from my adoptive families in Altit and Yasin Center, who teach me more about Ismaʿilism every time we speak, and also from Muzaffaruddin, Mushtaq Ahmed Rahi, Annie Harper, Khurram Khan, Tabinda Malik, and many others. The staff of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gilgit and Islamabad, who graciouslyaccommodated me during four separate periods of fieldwork, deserve special mention. Villagers of the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges from Phander toThui, from Darkot to Gupis, were unbelievably hospitable. xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS They gave generously and selflessly of their modest resources, always offering me food and a place to stay. My son, Zaki, has kept a smile on my face and helped me to take everything in stride as I brought this book to completion. More thanks are due to my wonderful wife, Emily, than to anyone else. She has made this idea a reality. I owe her my deepest love and gratitude. ...

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