In the small town of Dogondoutchi, Niger, Malam Awal, a charismatic Sufi preacher, was recruited by local Muslim leaders to denounce the practices of reformist Muslims. Malam Awal’s message has been v
Landlocked and with an economy reliant on subsistence agriculture, Niger often comes into the public eye only as example of deprivation and insecurity. Urban centers have become concentrated areas of
For far too long, the Western world viewed Africa as unmappable terrain—a repository for outsiders’ wildest imaginings. This problematic notion has had lingering effects not only on popula
For far too long, the Western world viewed Africa as a seemingly unmappable region and a repository for outsiders’ wildest imaginings. This problematic notion has had lingering effects not only
"A magnificent volume! It offers brand new perspectives on body politics and identity or subjectivity formation in the post-colonial world." —Dorothy Ko, Barnard CollegeWhile there is widespread inter
Bori, in the Mawri society of Niger, are mischievous and invisible beings that populate the bush. Bori is also the practice of taming these wild forces in the context of possession ceremonies. In Pray
The Bori is a kind of African shamanism, an animist cult centred on possession by the spirits of the ancestors, which has spread throughoutWest Africa. Its followers, priests (also known as Bori) and
A new cohort of Muslim youth has arisen since the attacks of 9/11, facilitated by the proliferation of recent communication technologies and the Internet. By focusing on these young people as a hetero