"For the last two centuries, the Muslim societies of Africa, Asia and other parts of the world have had to confront Western domination, of one variety or another, and forms of the modernity which the West has practiced and championed as universal. In their adaptations these societies have developed original institutions and "alternative modernities" that enrich our understanding of Islam and of the contemporary world. West Africans have been no exception to this general rule, even though Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be neglected by "orientalists" as well as Muslims from the "heartlands" of the faith. In this portal we show West Africans as resourceful, original and yes, "modern" practitioners of Islam; they are important examples for teachers and students of world history. We emphasize Senegambia, a Muslim majority area set in the Sahel, and Ghana, a Muslim minority country set in the forest region". (From the website)
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Islam and Modernity: Contemporary Dynamics of the Bou Kounta Qadiri Community . By Maria Grosz-Ngaté. This collection features the vibrant branch of the Qadiriyya founded by Cheikh Bou Kounta in Ndiassane, Senegal. Interviews, photos, videos of public events, and news articles document aspects of the order’s history; continuity and change; the engagement of Qadiri youth; and aspirations for education and development.
Collaboration, Modernity and Colonial Rule: Sidiyya Baba and Mauritania. By David Robinson. 17 images, 7 documents, and 3 maps and contextualizing essays tell the story of Sidiyya Baba, his fundamental role in the creation of French Mauritania, and the innovations and "modernizations" which he brought to his corner of the colony.
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esigned and Hosted by MATRIX Center for Digital Humanities & Social Sciences, Michigan State University
"Pluralism and Adaptation in the Islamic Practice of Senegal and Ghana is a digital library of multi-media resources that demonstrate how innovative Africans have been in the history of Islam and Islamic practice and how they continue to live and experience Islam.
Four digital galleries – two from Senegal and two from Ghana – emphasize pluralism - the coexistence and indeed the mutual respect among people of different religious persuasions - and adaptation – situations where Islam takes root in a particular society and culture that changes over time.
Through maps, images, multi-lingual audio, video, and textual materials, these galleries shed light on ways diverse Muslim communities in West Africa cooperate with one another and with followers of other faith and indigenous traditions.
Related Collections:
Failed Islamic States in Senegambia. By by David Robinson. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several determined reformers sought to extend the breadth and depth of Islamic practice in Senegambia and neighboring areas by using the 'jihad of the sword.' In each case their military efforts failed in the medium and long term, and sometimes more quickly, and did little to extend the faith. Their failure led Senegambian Muslims to think more of Sufi forms and practices of the faith, in which the political domain was much less important than the religious, social and economic realms, and to accept various forms of accommodation with the new political authorities, in this case the administrators of French West Africa.