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Book | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | African Islam |
Author: | Bravmann, René A. |
Year: | 1983 |
Pages: | 120 |
Language: | English |
City of publisher: | Washington, DC |
Publisher: | Smithsonian Institution press |
ISBN: | 087474282X; 0905788311; 090578832X |
Geographic term: | Africa |
Subjects: | Islamic history arts art |
Abstract: | This selection of essays and the exhibition it accompanies explore some of the social and historical dynamics as well as the aesthetic response of Africans to the appearance of Islam south of the Mediterranean littoral. Through the avenues of trade and holy wars, Islam had an impact on African thought, life, and art. Craft specializations and aesthetic sensibilities closely followed the spread of the faith in East and West Africa, across the Sahara, spreading throughout the Sahel and encroaching upon the forest zone. Newly introduced objects, forms and techniques found a place in traditional pre-Islamic cultures, at times replacing figurative arts, at other times existing side-by-side or fusing old and new into syncretic forms that share aspects of both cultures. The author has focused on his personal experiences with Islamic thought and art. His text serves as an introduction to this neglected area of African studies. |