Based on twelve case studies (Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and the Comoros), this book looks at patterns and peculiarities of different traditions of Islamic reform.
The author, an Associate Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, focuses on the intersection of Islamic education and political dynamics in various cultural contexts. His previous works explore the politics surrounding Islamic education in Zanzibar and the impact of Islamic reform on political change in Northern Nigeria, highlighting the complex interplay between social skills and marketable skills within these societies.
Set against the backdrop of Nigeria's political and religious upheaval in the 1970s and 1980s, the book examines the complex interplay between Islamic reform movements and political dynamics. It highlights the tensions between Sufi brotherhoods and the Izala movement, revealing how these conflicts shaped the quest for political power and the safeguarding of Muslim interests in Northern Nigeria. Roman Loimeier provides a thorough analysis of the socio-political landscape, emphasizing the significant role of religion in these struggles.
This multidisciplinary volume challenges established ideas about "the world of the Swahili," proposing a perspective that highlights the transitory, shifting, and plural character of East African coastal societies, worldviews, and identities. The contributors give inside accounts of the broad spectrum of local perceptions of the world in the wider Swahili context. They demonstrate how these perceptions have been shaped by the interconnections of the East African coast with other geographical spaces and cultural spheres (especially Arabia, the Indian Ocean, and Europe). Offering new insights into the interaction of local culture, Islam, colonialism, the postcolony, and globalization, the volume shows that the "Swahili" belong to many worlds and continue to cultivate the interfaces between these worlds. The book is the outcome of several years of collaborative research, academic meetings, and individual paper presentations coordinated by the editors under the umbrella of the Collaborative Research Project "Local Agency in Africa in the Context of Global Influences" based at Bayreuth University (Germany) and funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft).