The Tārikh al-Fattash and the Making of an Islamic State in West Africa
- Event Type
- Lecture
- Sponsor
- Center for Advanced Study
- Location
- Levis Faculty Center, Room 210
- Date
- Oct 20, 2021 12:00 - 12:45 pm
- Speaker
- Professor Mauro Nobili
- Views
- 22
- Originating Calendar
- History Department Public Events
This paper explores the intertwined histories of a West African Arabic chronicle, the Tārīkh al-fattāsh and its role in establishing the legitimation of the 9th-century Caliphate of Ḥamdallāhi, located in today’s Republic of Mali. Previously understood to be a 16th- or 17th-century work, Professor Nobili will prove that the Tārīkh al-fattāsh was in fact written in the 19th century. In doing so, this paper will raise crucial issues concerning religion and politics in pre-colonial West Africa, as well as the use of literacy as a tool of state power.