Muslim Societies in African History (New Approaches to African History)

This book examines a series of processes (Islamization, Arabization, Africanization) and case studies from the Muslim societies of Africa over the last thousand years. In contrast to traditions suggesting that Islam did not take root in Africa, David Robinson depicts the complex struggles of Muslims throughout the continent: in Morocco and the Hausaland region of Nigeria; the "pagan" societies of Ashanti (Ghana) and Buganda (Uganda); and the ostensibly Christian state of Ethiopia. "Further reading" sections suggest how undergraduate readers can pursue research, and illustrations and maps supplement the text. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Maps and Figures......Page 13 Introduction......Page 17 Further Reading......Page 21 I The Historical and Institutional Background......Page 23 The Setting of Muhammad’s Life......Page 25 Expansion and the Early Islamic State......Page 27 Expansion and Dissension......Page 29 The Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates......Page 30 Further Reading......Page 32 CHAPTER 2 The Basic Institutions of Islam......Page 33 The Processes......Page 34 The Fundamental Obligations and Institutions......Page 37 Sufism and Sufi Orders......Page 40 Islam and Women......Page 42 Further Reading......Page 44 II General Themes......Page 47 CHAPTER 3 The Islamization of Africa......Page 49 The East African and Swahili Gateway......Page 54 The Saharan Gateway and the Berbers......Page 60 Further Reading......Page 62 Appropriation in Space and Time......Page 64 Appropriation in Visual Culture: Amulets and Architecture......Page 66 Attachment and Competition......Page 71 Muslims in a Minority Posture: The Suwarian Tradition......Page 77 Further Reading......Page 80 Muslims and the Atlantic Slave Trade......Page 82 Slave Trades More Directly Associated with Islam......Page 85 Debates on the Legitimacy of Enslavement......Page 87 “Arab Slave Trading”......Page 92 Further Reading......Page 93 The Ancient Heritage and Africa......Page 96 The Challenge of Islam......Page 99 Images of Africa and Islam in The Modern Period......Page 102 Orientalism and African Studies......Page 107 Further Reading......Page 110 III Case Studies......Page 111 The Beginnings......Page 113 The Moroccan State in Recent Centuries......Page 117 Varieties of Islamic Authority in Morocco......Page 122 Moroccan Travails in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries......Page 124 Further Reading......Page 127 CHAPTER 8 Ethiopia: Muslims in a “Christian Nation”......Page 130 Christian Identity in Ethiopia......Page 131 Early Relations of Muslims with Aksum......Page 132 Relations with Muslim Egypt......Page 134 Crusade and Jihad: Confrontations in Ethiopia......Page 136 Islamization and New Confrontations......Page 138 Muslims and the Italian Occupation......Page 142 Further Reading......Page 144 The Emergence of the Asante Empire......Page 146 The Muslim Community of Kumasi in the Early Nineteenth Century......Page 149 Pushing the Envelope of the “Suwarian” Tradition......Page 155 Conclusion......Page 157 Further Reading......Page 159 CHAPTER 10 Sokoto and Hausaland: Jihad within the Dar al-Islam......Page 161 The Hausaland Setting......Page 162 The Emergence of Uthman dan Fodio......Page 164 Developing a Pedagogy of Islamization......Page 168 Conclusion......Page 172 Further Reading......Page 173 CHAPTER 11 Buganda: Religious Competition for the Kingdom......Page 175 The Structures of Buganda Society......Page 176 The Spread of Islam in Buganda......Page 178 The Development of Islam under Kabaka Mutesa......Page 180 The Intensification of Religious Competition under Mutesa......Page 183 Struggles for Power and Religion after Mutesa......Page 185 Conclusion: Muslim Fortunes in “Christian” Buganda......Page 188 Further Reading......Page 189 CHAPTER 12 The Sudan: The Mahdi and Khalifa amid Competing Imperialisms......Page 191 The Sudan as the Nile Corridor to the Interior......Page 193 The Turkiyya......Page 194 The Reign of the Mahdi......Page 195 The Reign of Khalifa Abdullahi......Page 198 British Colonialism and the Mahdi’s Family......Page 201 Further Reading......Page 202 CHAPTER 13 Senegal: Bamba and the Murids under French Colonial Rule......Page 204 Senegal in the Late Nineteenth Century......Page 205 The Emergence of Amadu Bamba and His Followers......Page 207 Conflict and Collaboration with French Authorities......Page 209 Working out the Patterns of Accommodation......Page 211 Succession and Closer Relationships......Page 214 Expansion in Time, Space, and Art......Page 215 Further Reading......Page 217 Conclusion......Page 219 Processes of Islamization, Arabization, and Africanization......Page 220 Making Muslim Space......Page 223 Crossing Boundaries and Stages......Page 225 Imperialism and Resistance......Page 228 Further Reading......Page 231 Glossary......Page 233 Index......Page 237 Examining a series of processes (Islamization, Arabization, Africanization) and case studies from North, West and East Africa, this book gives snapshots of Muslim societies in Africa over the last millennium. In contrast to traditions which suggest that Islam did not take root in Africa, author David Robinson shows the complex struggles of Muslims in the Muslim state of Morocco and in the Hausaland region of Nigeria. He portrays the ways in which Islam was practiced in the'pagan'societies of Ashanti (Ghana) and Buganda (Uganda) and in the ostensibly Christian state of Ethiopia - beginning with the first emigration of Muslims from Mecca in 615 CE, well before the foundational hijra to Medina in 622. He concludes with chapters on the Mahdi and Khalifa of the Sudan and the Murid Sufi movement that originated in Senegal, and reflections in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001. I. The Historical And Institutional Background. Muhammad And The Birth Of Islam -- The Basic Institutions Of Islam -- Ii. General Themes. The Islamization Of Africa -- The Africanization Of Islam -- Muslim Identity And The Slave Trades -- Western Views Of Africa And Islam -- Iii. Case Studies. Morocco: Muslims In A Muslim Nation -- Ethiopia: Muslims In A Christian Nation -- Asante And Kumasi: A Muslim Minority In A Sea Of Paganism -- Sokoto And Hausaland: Jihad Within The Dar Al-islam -- Buganda: Religious Competition For The Kingdom -- The Sudan: The Mahdi And Khalifa Amid Competing Imperialisms -- Senegal: Bamba And The Murids Under French Colonial Rule -- Conclusion. David Robinson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Examining Islamization, Arabization, Africanization and the Muslim societies of Africa over the last thousand years, David Robinson reveals the complex struggles of Muslims throughout the continent. His study ranges through Morocco, the Hausaland region of Nigeria, the "pagan" societies of Ashanti (Ghana) and Buganda (Uganda), and the ostensibly Christian state of Ethiopia."