Cutting-edge research in the study of Islamic scholarship and its impact on the religious, political, economic and cultural history of Africa; bridges the "europhone"/"non-europhone" knowledge divides to significantly advance decolonial thinking, and extend the frontiers of social science research in Africa. The study of Islamic erudition in Africa is growing rapidly, transforming not just Islamic studies, but also African Studies. This interdisciplinary volume from leading international scholars fills a lacuna in presenting not only the history and spread of Islamic scholarship in Africa, but its current state and future concerns. Challenging the notion that Muslim societies in black Africa were essentially oral prior to the European colonial conquest at the turn of the 20th century, and countering the largely Western division of sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, the authors take an inclusive approach to advance our knowledge of the contribution of people of African descent to the life of Mecca. This book explores in depth the intellectual and spiritual exchanges between populations in the Maghreb, the Sahara and West Africa. A key theme is Islamic learning. The authors examine the madrasa as asite of knowledge and learning, the relationship between "diasporas" and Islamic education systems, female learning circles, and the use of ICT. Diversifying the study of Islamic erudition, the contributors look at the interactions between textuality and orality, female learning circles, the vernacular study of poetry and cosmological texts, and the role of Ajami - the use of Arabic script to transcribe 80 African languages. Africa: Cerdis
About the AuthorOUSMANE KANE is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society, Harvard Divinity School and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University. His books include Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual history of Muslim West Africa (2016). OUSMANE KANE is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society, Harvard Divinity School and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University. His books include Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual history of Muslim West Africa (2016).
ReviewsIslamic Scholarship in Africa is a multifaceted, fascinating collection of essays alike indispensable for its empirical findings and for its theoretical framing. -- Journal of Islamic Studies
This book is a collection of essays that not only presents existing works and new findings, but also opens up new directions in the field of Islamic scholarship in Africa. -- Islamochristiana
Islamic Scholarship in Africa: New Directions and Global Contexts is an excellent contribution to an emerging discipline of Africana Muslim Studies. * Journal of Education in Muslim Societies *
Book InformationISBN 9781847012302
Author Ousmane Oumar KaneFormat Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint James CurreyPublisher James Currey
Weight(grams) 1g