Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa

Main author: Janson, Marloes
Format: Book Chapters           
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id eprints-21326
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Sub-Saharan Africa is frequently seen as the periphery of the Muslim world, in terms of both geography and religious influence. This chapter shows that Islam has had a presence in Sub-Saharan Africa since the earliest days of its history. Scholars studying Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa have long written about an ‘African Islam’, reflecting the Sufi bias typical of scholarship on Islam in the region. Janson demonstrates that this approach hampers a better understanding of the emergence of reformist-oriented movements. She concludes by pointing out new approaches to the study of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa, which capture the fluidity of the different ways of ‘being Muslim’ in everyday living, thereby challenging ingrained analytical concepts such as an ‘African Islam’ versus ‘Arab Islam’, and an accommodating Sufi Islam versus an orthodox reformist Islam.
author_additional Shanguhyia, Martin S.
author_additionalStr Shanguhyia, Martin S.
format Book Chapters
author Janson, Marloes
author_facet Janson, Marloes
authorStr Janson, Marloes
author_letter Janson, Marloes
title Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa
publisher Palgrave Macmillan
publishDate 2018
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/21326/