The Rope Maker of Mali

Baraji and Everyday Islam in West Africa
Erscheinungsjahr 2027
ISBN: 978-1-84701-552-5
Verlag: Boydell & Brewer

Buch, Englisch, Band 18, 208 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Religion in Transforming Africa

Through the life of an ordinary Muslim, examines the way that Muslims in Mali use the concept of baraji, or "divine reward," as a profound but unexplored framework for understanding Islam and Indigenous religion in daily life in West Africa.

To understand the various ways through which Muslims in West Africa seek to acquire baraji, generally understood as the merit needed to enter Paradise and acquired through an array of ethical acts, the book draws on archival and ethnographic research to narrate the life of Amadou Diallo, an elderly Fulbe man living in the town of Ouélessébougou in southwestern Mali. It recounts Amadou's own understandings of the importance of and methods for earning religious merit, showing how they change with age and circumstance and how closely its accumulation reflects one's life trajectory. Revealing the embeddedness of Islamic merit in West African life cycles, the book argues that paying attention to the concept offers previously undocumented insights into religious life in the region. Throughout, it argues that the deeply individual beliefs and practices that make up any religion cannot truly be understood beyond the contexts of individual lives.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bell, Dianna

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsethik, Weltethos
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Afrikanische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Religionssoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam & Islamische Studien
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Leben & Praxis
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Historische & Regionale Volkskunde

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note on Orthography
Preface

Chapter One: Baraji in the Life Cycle

Chapter Two: Islam and Baraji in Mali

Chapter Three: Childhood

Chapter Four: Early Youth

Chapter Five: Adolescence

Chapter Six: Adulthood

Chapter Seven: Growing Old

Conclusion

Glossary
Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Bell, Dianna
DIANNA BELL developed The Rope Maker of Mali: Baraji and Everyday Islam in West Africa as a Mellon Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University. She now lives in Cape Town and works in academic publishing, specialising in African Studies.