Sufism And Jihad In Modern Senegal: The Murid Order (rochester Studies In African History And The Diaspora)
by John Glover /
2007 / English / PDF
3.5 MB Download
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. John Glover is Associate Professor of
History at the University of Redlands in southern California.
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. John Glover is Associate Professor of
History at the University of Redlands in southern California.