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In Senegal, the Muridiyya, a large Islamic Sufi order, is the single most influential religious organization, including among its numbers the nation's president. Yet little is known of this sect in the West. Drawn from a wide variety of archival, oral, and iconographic sources in Arabic, French, and Wolof, "Fighting the Greater Jihad" offers an astute analysis of the founding and development of the order and a biographical study of its founder, Cheikh Amadu Bamba Mbacke. Cheikh Anta Babou explores the forging of Murid identity and pedagogy around the person and initiative of Amadu Bamba as well as the continuing reconstruction of this identity by more recent followers. He makes a compelling case for reexamining the history of Muslim institutions in Africa and elsewhere in order to appreciate believers' motivation and initiatives, especially religious culture and education, beyond the narrow confines of political collaboration and resistance. "Fighting the Greater Jihad" also reveals how religious power is built at the intersection of genealogy, knowledge, and spiritual force, and how this power in turn affected colonial policy."Fighting the Greater Jihad" will dramatically alter the perspective from which anthropologists, historians, and political scientists study Muslim mystical orders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Challenging the Murid canon
This is an excellent piece of historical scholarship--meticulously researched and full of insights about a crucial period in Senegal's history.This monograph is going to significantly change the previously unquestioned "canon" of literature on the Muridiyya.

Interesting read
This is an interesting book for those who aren't familiar with Senegalese oral culture and history. Great for students! ... Read more

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The Murid order, founded in Senegal in the latter decades of the nineteenth century, grew into a major Sufi order during the colonial period and is now among the most recognizable of the Sufi orders in Africa. Murids have spread the voice of Islam and Africa in concert halls and on the airwaves through pop singers -- especially Youssou N'Dour -- and the image of Shaykh Amadu Bamba M'Backé, the founding saint of the order, often used to grace the covers of works concerning Islam, African culture, abolition, and European colonization. In this insightful and revealing study, John Glover explores the manner in which a Muslim society in West Africa actively created a conception of modernity that reflects its own historical awareness and identity. Drawing from Murid written and oral historical sources, Glover carefully considers how the Murid order at the collective and individual levels has navigated the intersection of two major historical forces -- Islam, specifically in the contexts of reform and mysticism, and European colonization -- and achieved in the process an understanding of modernity not as an unwilling witness but as an active participant. Ultimately, Sufism and Jihad in Modern Senegal presents the reader with a new portrait of a society that has used its notion of modernity to adapt and incorporate further historical changes into its identity as an African Sufi order. ... Read more

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The author shows how the societies of West Africa were transformed by the slave trade. The growth of the Atlantic trade stimulated the development of slavery within the region, with slaves working in the river and coasting trades or producing surplus grain to feed slaves in transit. A few held pivotal positions in the political structure of the coastal kingdoms of Senegambia. This local slave system had far-reaching consequences, leading to religious protest and slave rebellions. The changes in agricultural production fostered an ecological crisis. ... Read more

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A West African nation with a rich political and cultural heritage, Senegal continues to serve as a role model for francophone Africa despite its weak economic base and small population. Its status as both a Sahelian and a maritime country brought its people into early contact with Islam and the West, making Senegal a crossroads where traditional African, Islamic and European cultures met and blended. In this exploration of Senegal, the author begins with discussion of the influence of Islam, Western imperialism and French colonial rule, and by tracing the country's political, economic and social evolution since independence. This expanded second edition also analyzes developments since 1983, looking in particular at the state of multi-party democracy, the 1993 national elections, the deterioration of the political climate following the assassination of the vice-president of the Constitutional Council, and the devaluation of the CFA franc. The book closes with an assessment of the social and cultural trends that have contributed to Senegal's emergence as one of Africa's most important cultural centres. ... Read more

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Well worth reading
This book is readable, comprehesive, and very useful.A great source of background information for anyone interested in modern Senegal. ... Read more

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From Frontier to Backwater follows the interaction of politics, economy, society, and ecology in the upper Senegal valley from the middle of the nineteenth century through the end of World War I. During this turbulent period, the region was transformed from an export-producing area on the frontier of European expansion into a marginal labor reserve. The valley included the sparsely populated regions of Bundu, Khasso, and Gajaaga, along with the societies of Bambuk and Gidimaka in the transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and the Guinea rain forest. Over time, changing French interests constantly shifted the areas of importance, yet settlements along the water routes were generally larger, more economically diverse, and more commercialized. At the middle of the nineteenth century, the diversity and vitality of the economy, along with the growing colonial presence in the heartland, led to the recovery of the upper Senegal Valley after several ecological and war-induced crises. However, the entire region was gradually marginalized. A fall in gum prices, the severe famine of 1913-1914, intensive war recruitment and mobilization efforts, combined with increased permanent migration, sealed the fate of this valley on the periphery of the French colonial empire. ... Read more

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Senegal has traditionally been the meeting place of Islamic and coastal themes in African studies, bringing together Arab, European and various West African influences into its rich and fascinating history. The modern Republic of Senegal has attracted attention for its highly visible role on the international stage and its successful democratic system in an ethnically diverse area. Political scientists have focused on the country's integration of African socialism, democracy and Islam while development economists have studied efforts to alleviate the Sahelian drought and desertification. This considerably revised edition provides historical, economic, political, and social data, maps and information on the organizations, individuals, peoples, traditions and ideas that shaped and continue to mold national and daily life. The volume serves both those seeking an introduction or isolated data as well as professional scholars. Since the first edition, Senegal has experienced numerous political, economic and demographic changes. Data are presented in clear and convenient tables. Alphabetical entries of personalities, places, ethnic groups, events, "et al.", constitute the substantial core of the dictionary. The new introduction presents an overview of all regions of Senegal from earliest times to the present, followed by a detailed chronology of events. An extended review of the scholarly literature in English and French precedes the extremely expanded, comprehensive and updated bibliography. ... Read more

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Between 1880 and 1920, Muslim Sufi orders became pillars of the colonial regimes and economies of Senegal and Mauritania. In Paths of Accommodation David Robinson examines the ways in which the leaders of the orders negotiated relations with the Federation of French West Africa in order to preserve autonomy within the religious, social and economic realms while abandoning the political sphere of their non-Muslim rulers. This was a striking development because the local inhabitants had a strong sense of belonging to the Dar al-Islam, the world of Islam, in which Muslims ruled themselves. By charting the similarities and differences of the trajectories followed by leading groups within the region as they responded to the colonial regimes, Robinson provides an understanding of the concepts of the relationship between knowledge and power, the concepts of civil society and hegemony, and the transferability of symbolic, economic and social capital.North America: Ohio U Press ... Read more

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A study of the foundation and early history of colonial universities in West Africa. With comparative treatment of Francophone material, it also details African student experiences in the European capitals and the influence of metropolitan anti-communist policy on African higher education. ... Read more

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Using oral sources, as well as official and missionary archives, Martin Klein describes the history of slavery during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in three former French colonies.He considers the impact of the Atlantic slave trade and the evolution of slavery both before the French and under their rule.While he discusses French policy, the main focus of the book is the constantly changing relationships between slave and master, and the attempts on the part of slaves to seek freedom, or autonomy where they remained in servitude. ... Read more

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The French colonial conquest of Senegal was part of a Wolof civil war and the on-going battles between Islam and the monarchy that had commenced with the Muslim rebellion in 1859. This work is an examination of Islam, slave emancipation and the impact of cash cropping in colonial Senegal from 1859 to 1914. The book decolonizes history through its focus on Wolof historical agency, critical readings of French sources, and a Wolof-centred chronology of historical transformation.North America: Heinemann ... Read more

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"Masters of the Sabar" is the first book to examine the music and culture of Wolof griot percussionists, masters of the vibrant sabar drumming tradition. Based on extensive field research in Senegal, this book is a biographical study of several generations of percussionists in a Wolof griot (gewel) family, exploring and documenting their learning processes, repertories, and performance contexts-from life-cycle ceremonies to sporting events and political meetings. Patricia Tang examines the rich history and changing repertories of sabar drumming, including dance rhythms and bakks, musical phrases derived from spoken words. She notes the recent shift towards creating new bakks which are rhythmically more complex and highlight the virtuosity and musical skill of the percussionist. She also considers the burgeoning popular music genre called mbalax. The compact disc that accompanies the book includes examples of the standard sabar repertory, as well as bakks composed and performed by Lamine Toure and his family drum troupe. ... Read more

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An account, first published in 1861, of the relationship between indigenous and European traders in the Niger Delta. ... Read more

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This work contains examples of Mandinka oral traditions, both in English and the original Mandinka. It presents legends about jihad leaders, witchcraft, local Islam, cosmology, the founding of villages, great leaders among women, and notable social institutions. ... Read more

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The bubonic plague took over 50,000 lives in colonial Senegal between 1914 and 1945. The Africans tenaciously resisted coercive and punitive plague control measures. This text examines how colonizer and colonized changed their perceptions of the epidemic over time.North America: Heinemann ... Read more

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Sufi City: Urban Design and Archetypes in Touba is a geographical study of the modern Muslim holy city of Touba in Senegal, capital of the Mouride Sufi order. Touba was founded in 1887 by a Sufi shaykh in a moment of mystic illumination. Since the death of the founder in 1927, the Mouride order has designed and built the entire city. Touba is named for Tûbâ, the "Tree of Paradise" of Islamic tradition. This archetypal tree articulates Islamic conceptions of righteous life on earth, divine judgment, and access to the Hereafter; the city of Touba actualizes this spiritual construct. Important aspects of its configuration, such as the vertical and horizontal alignment of its monumental central shrine complex, its radiating avenues and encircling ring roads, and the actual trees that mark its landscape relate directly to the archetypal tree of Sufi theosophy. The relationship between the spiritual archetype and its earthly actualization as a city is explained by recourse to Sufi methodology. The book employs a semiotic analysis of urban form, cartography, hermeneutics, field investigation and analysis of satellite imagery in order to relate contemporary urban design issues to overarching metaphysical concepts. Sufi City also explores the history of urban networks in Senegal since the emergence of autonomous Muslim towns in the seventeenth century. Finally, the layout of Senegal's modern Sufi cities is related to the monumental palaver trees that marked that country's historic settlements.Eric S. Ross is a cultural and urban geographer who holds a degree in Islamic Studies. Since 1998 he has been assistant professor of Geography at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Apart from research on Sufi orders and Muslim towns in Senegal, he has studied cultural tourism and urban planning in Morocco. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Wide Window into Senegal and African Islam
This book represents a major contribution to the literature on Sufism in an African context.It addresses how the Murid movement interacted with modernity, Islam, Sufism and African traditions to create a world-accepting synthesis that finds physical form in the modern city of Touba -- an autonomous part of Senegal.I read this book early on, and I assure all readers that it is worth the investment and that it is one of those rare books that is hard to put down once one starts to read it. ... Read more

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A blend of indigenous life in the rural countryside and metropolitan culture in urban centers, Senegal has been a small, yet prominent country on Africa's western coast. In this comprehensive study of contemporary Senegalese life, readers will learn how daily lifestyles are celebrated through both religious and secular customs. Students can investigate how Senegal's oral storytelling, Islamic roots, and French colonialism have shaped literature and media in today's society.From the street to the studio, the topic of art in Senegalese life is also covered.Ross also delves into architectural styles and modern housing in urban environments, while also covering typical cuisine and traditional fashion.Readers will learn about the typical Senegalese family as a social and economic unit, and will see how music, dance, and sports play an integral role in their lives.Ideal for high school students and general readers, this volume in the Culture and Customs of Africa series is a perfect addition to any library's reference collection.

Customer Reviews (2)

An animated cultural-social portraiture
Senegal camouflaged face is unmasked.
Senegal comes to life in this book.
The depiction of the day by day life, social sceneries, traditions and mode de vie is refreshing.
Senegal is a forgotten or ignored destination for those who solely search for Tia Maria and the glitters of Acapulco.
Yet, Senegal natural beauty, silver beaches and forests are wonders on earth.
The book is written by a concerned and well-informed writer. He painted us vivid tableaus of Senegalese arts, literature and music.
However, he could not free himself from the stigma of colonialism. This should not diminish the quality of his book.

This survey of uniquely Senegalese culture is involving and exciting
Advanced high school to college-level collections strong in African studies will welcome the specific volumes in 'Culture and Customs of Africa', of which CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF SENEGAL is one. From literature and academics to family and gender, music and sports, this survey of uniquely Senegalese culture is involving and exciting - and perfect for reports.
... Read more

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Between 1914 and 1918, the French recruited over 140,000 West Africans who fought on the Western front. Based on personal testimonies of war veterans and archival research, this book describes how the experience altered African soldiers' views of themselves, their societies, and the French.North America: Heinemann ... Read more

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The contributors of this volume adopt a multidisciplinary approach to the problematic of rural development in Senegal and in Africa. They outline the various rural development policies of several African states, and in this context consider the critical questions of the exodus of the rural population to the cities, migration, changing demography, and the challenges associated with economic decentralization. The studies illustrate how agrarian reforms and liberalization have been largely ineffective due to the socio-cultural constraints that are hindering rural development. As a whole, the book represents a comprehensive overview of strategies appropriate to achieving successful participatory development in rural Senegal. ... Read more

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Few published studies have thoroughly treated the history of European planning practices in the overseas colonial territories. This is especially true regarding the African continent in general and sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Interest in the indigenous response to the formal organization of the colonial settlement has only been manifest in the last few decades. In addition, French and British colonial policies and practices in West Africa, particularly with regard to town planning, have rarely been analyzed together within the same intellectual framework. This work is concerned with the perception and realization of residential segregation in two major colonial capitals in West Africa: British Lagos and French Dakar. The history and the form of residential segregation in Lagos, a chief port and an administrative and commercial centre, and in Dakar, the capital of the AOF (Afrique Occidentale Francaise) Federation, are traced from the establishment of the official colonial rule in the mid-nineteenth century to the inter-war period.The focus on residential segregation as a crucial aspect of colonial urban planning directly relates to colonial discourses, municipal politics and indigenous conceptions. Rather than a schematic and somewhat simplified model of segregation, comparative aspects are stressed here, offering a more diversified view of this phenomenon. Urban policies also served purposes other than mere separation of various ethnic groups, and a more complex definition of segregationist schemes is needed, referring to conceptual and actual nuances of spatial divisions and hierarchisation. ... Read more