A Living Library: Amadou Hampâté Bâ and the Oral Transmission of Islamic Religious Knowledge

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Main author: Brenner, Louis
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-42723
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This paper presents three previously unpublished texts that provide insight into Amadou Hampâté Bâ’s personal understanding of Islam and Sufism. Two of the texts are examples of Hampâté Bâ’s earliest attempts to translate the oral teachings of his spiritual teacher, Tierno Bokar, into French; the third text consists of extracts from interviews with Hampâté Bâ in 1978 during which he reflected on themes that appear in the earlier texts, as well as more broadly on Islamic theology and Sufism. In addition to contributing to our understanding of Hampâté Bâ’s own religious ideas, these texts illustrate something of both the content and the intellectual vitality that can inform the oral transmission of religious knowledge, an aspect of Islamic religious culture that has been less explored by students of Islam and Muslim history in Africa than the region’s rich literary heritage. An introduction contextualizes the texts and analyzes their content.
format Journal Article
author Brenner, Louis
author_facet Brenner, Louis
authorStr Brenner, Louis
author_letter Brenner, Louis
title A Living Library: Amadou Hampâté Bâ and the Oral Transmission of Islamic Religious Knowledge
publisher Brill
publishDate 2010
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/42723/

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