Overview

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. Considering both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements in their respective historical contexts, it stresses the importance of the local context to explain the different trajectories of development. The book studies the social, religious and political impact of these reform movements in both historical and contemporary times and asks why some have become successful as popular mass movements, while others failed to attract substantial audiences. It also considers jihad-minded movements in contemporary Mali, northern Nigeria and Somalia and looks at modes of transnational entanglement of movements of reform. Against the background of a general inquiry into what constitutes 'reform', the text responds to the question of what 'reform' actually means for Muslims in contemporary Africa.

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9780748695430

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Reviews

The book is a comprehensive comparative depiction of Islamic reform movements in Africa in historical perspective. Loimeier compellingly demonstrates the complexity and diversity of these movements, subtly analysing the dialectical interaction of international currents and local contexts. This is a tour de force, remarkable for both its breadth and depth. -- Robert Launay, Northwestern University A result of three decades of fieldwork and travels throughout Africa, [this book] boasts an extensive bibliography and index, and will probably come to be regarded as a reference book for understanding Sufi- and Salafi-oriented and jihad-minded reform movements in the multi-ethnic and multireligious societies of the African continent. -- Heinrich Bergstresser, Africa Spectrum

'A result of three decades of fieldwork and travels throughout Africa, [this book] boasts an extensive bibliography and index, and will probably come to be regarded as a reference book for understanding Sufi- and Salafi-oriented and jihad-minded reform movements in the multi-ethnic and multireligious societies of the African continent.'--Heinrich Bergstresser Africa Spectrum

The book is a comprehensive comparative depiction of Islamic reform movements in Africa in historical perspective. Loimeier compellingly demonstrates the complexity and diversity of these movements, subtly analysing the dialectical interaction of international currents and local contexts. This is a tour de force, remarkable for both its breadth and depth. -- Robert Launay, Northwestern University

Author Information

Roman Loimeier is Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Göttingen. He is author of Muslim Societies in Africa: A Historical Anthropology (2013), Between Social Skills and Marketable Skills: The Politics of Islamic Education in 20th Century Zanzibar (2009) and Islamic Reform and Political Change in Northern Nigeria (1997, second edition 2011).

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