Sedgwick is notable for pioneering historical research into the religious movement called Traditionalism.
He was educated in England at Harrow School, where he first became interested in history,[1] and Worcester College, Oxford.
While living in Cairo in 1990, Sedgwick encountered Sufis from both the Naqshbandiyya tariqa and the Traditionalist Maryamiyya.
His books have been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Romanian, Serbian, Portuguese, Persian, and Turkish.
[12] He has pointed out that both charges can hardly be true at the same time and explained that his personal history with Traditionalism was early and limited.