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Muslim Societies
in African History
Examiningaseriesofprocesses(e.g.,islamization,arabization,andafrican-
ization)andcasestudiesfromNorth,West,andEastAfrica,thisbookgives
snapshotsofMuslimsocietiesinAfricaoverthepast1,000+ years.Incontrast
totraditionsthatsuggestthatAfricaisnotMuslimorthatIslamdidnottake
rootinAfrica,authorDavidRobinsonshowsthecomplexstrugglesofMus-
limsintheMuslimstateofMoroccoandintheHausalandregionofNigeria.
HeportraysthewaysinwhichIslamwaspracticedinthe“pagan”societiesof
Ashanti(Ghana)andBuganda(Uganda)andintheostensiblyChristianstate
ofEthiopia–beginningwiththefirstemigrationofMuslimsfromMeccain
615C.E.,wellbeforethefoundationalhijratoMedinain622.Heconcludes
with chapters on the Mahdi and Khalifa of the Sudan and the Murid Sufi
movementthatoriginatedinSenegal.Finally,Robinsonoffersreflectionsin
thewakeoftheeventsofSeptember11,2001.TheFurtherReadingsections
suggesthowundergraduatereadersmayfollowuponthethemesofthisvol-
ume,andillustrationsandmapsmaketheprocessesandcasestudiesconcrete.
David Robinson has conducted research on Islamic and francophone West
Africaforthirtyyears,atYaleUniversity,andsince1978atMichiganState
University,wherehewasnamedUniversityDistinguishedProfessorofHis-
toryin1992.HisnotablebooksincludeTheHolyWarofUmarTal(Oxford
University Press, 1985) and Paths of Accommodation: Muslim Societies and
FrenchColonialAuthoritiesinSenegalandMauritania,1880to1920(OhioUni-
versityPressandJamesCurrey,2000).
NewApproachestoAfricanHistory
SeriesEditor
MartinKlein,UniversityofToronto
New Approaches to African History is designed to introduce students to cur-
rentfindingsandnewideasinAfricanhistory.Although eachbooktreatsa
particular case, and is able to stand alone, the format allows the studies to
beusedasmodulesingeneralcoursesonAfricanhistoryandworldhistory.
Thecasesrepresentawiderangeoftopics.Eachvolumesummarizesthestate
of knowledge on a particular subject for a student who is new to the field.
However,theaimisnotsimplytopresentreviewsoftheliterature,itisalso
tointroducedebatesonhistoriographicalorsubstantiveissuesandmayargue
forparticularpointsofview.Theaimoftheseriesistostimulatedebate,to
challenge students and general readers. The series is not committed to any
particularschoolofthought.
Otherbooksintheseries:
AfricaSince1940,byFrederickCooper
Muslim Societies
in African History
David Robinson
MichiganStateUniversity
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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© Cambridge University Press 2004
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
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without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2004
isbn-13 978-0-511-16514-6 eBook (EBL)
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ForRuditeandDudleigh
Acknowledgments
This book is the result of a request by Martin Klein to deal with the
subject of Islam in Africa for college undergraduates. He has made
it a challenge and a pleasure all along the way. I hope to say some-
thingoldandsomethingnew,orsomethingknowninanewway.The
processhasmademethinkdifferentlyaboutmaterialsthatIresearch
andteach.Ibenefitedfromworkingonanolderprojectorganizedby
NehemiaLevtzionandRandallPouwels,whichtheyeditedasAHis-
tory of Islam in Africa (Ohio University Press, 2000). Nehemia was a
VisitingHannahProfessoratMichiganStateatthetimethebookcame
out.Duringoneofoursessions,hesaidthattheyshouldperhapshave
entitled their book Muslim Societies in African History. I was already
thinkingalongtheselinesatthetimeandhadadoptedthattitleinmy
conversationswithMartin.Itrepresentsausefulanddynamicwayto
understandthehistoryofafaithanditspractitionersintheenormous
confinesoftheAfricancontinent.
Iprofitedfromanumberofcritiquesoftheinitialprospectusanda
varietyofdrafts.Ithank,inadditiontoMartin,thefollowingfriends
and colleagues: Kevin Brown, Tim Carmichael, Mamadou Diouf,
AlanFisher,BillFreund,AlaineHutson,mydeeplymissedcolleague
Harold Marcus, Jonathan and Marie Miran, Ahmed Sikainga, Ray
Silverman, Charles Stewart, Ehud Toledano, and Brian Yates. I owe
special thanks to Tim’s students at a Smith College Seminar in the
winter of 2003: Autumn Barr, Sasha Berkoff, Emmi Felker-Quinn,
JessicaKeating,JessicaQuinn,MayaRamos,andKavitaVenkatesan,
fortakingthetimetoreadthroughthedraftandgivemethebenefitof
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
theirreactions.RaySilvermanhasguidedmethroughtheprocessof
selectingillustrationsandmadeexcellentsuggestions.SuzanneMiers,
AlandPollyRoberts,DoranRoss,andtheFowlerMuseumofCultural
History at UCLA have kindly granted me permission to use images
fromtheircollections.IalsoexpressmygratitudetoEllenWhiteofthe
MSUGeographyDepartmentforthepreparationofthemapsandto
AliaWintersofthepressforhersustainedinterestinseeingthebook
topublication.
DAVIDROBINSON
EastLansing,Michigan
March2003
Description:This book examines a series of processes (Islamization, Arabization, Africanization) and case studies from the Muslim societies of Africa over the last thousand years. In contrast to traditions suggesting that Islam did not take root in Africa, David Robinson depicts the complex struggles of Muslims
