Migration, Jihad, and Muslim Authority in West Africa

Book excerpt: John H. Hanson's pathbreaking study revises late-nineteenth-century colonialist assumptions about a West African Muslim social movement. Using indigenous Arabic manuscripts, travel narratives, and oral materials, Hanson assesses the meaning of a series of revolts against Islamic authority. The book investigates three political crises that took place at Nioro, a town in the region of Karta in the upper Senegal River valley, conquered during a military jihad or "holy war" by Shaykh Umar Tal. Although Umar and his successors steadfastly promoted jihad, Futanke colonists, defying their leaders, opted to remain settled on the lands they had seized; instead of going to war, the colonists devoted themselves to production of foodstuffs for sale in an increasingly vital regional economy. Incisive analysis of charismatic authority and its limits, as demonstrated by Umar and his son Amadu Sheku, illuminates patterns in the unfolding relations between leaders and followers.