Conference on Islam in Africa

Abstract

Academic studies regarding "Islam in Africa" have increased at a rapid pace over the past few years. In the 1960s, works of Trimingham and Lewis were among the few which dealt with the subject. Towards the end of the 1990s, one could select from a number of works; for example, one had a choice between Westurland and Brenner, Fischer and Stewart, Levtzion and Mazrui and others. This reflects to what extent the African continent and, in particular, Islam has attracted the attention of scholars who represent a variety of disciplines. A similar group of scholars participated in the conference sponsored by the Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University SUNY, NY on "Islam in Africa" from April 19-22, 2001. This report reflects the overall program adopted by the conference and mentions some of the papers presented. The conference began on Thursday, April 19, 2001. During the two hours Rene Laremont, the deputy director of the Institute, chaired the two public presentations by John Esposito and Ali Mazrui, respectively. Esposito's topic for that evening was "Islam in a Global Perspective: A Wider View" and Mazrui's was "Islam and Cultural Globalization in Africa." Esposito covered several issues. He started his presentation with autobiographical notes about how he got involved with Islam and Muslims. He then examined the development oflslamic resurgence movements; highlighted global perceptions of Muslims and Islam; tackled the issue of the supposed Islamic "threat"; responded to Huntington's Clash of Civilizations (Foreign Affairs 1993, and NY 1996); and reflected - in passing - upon Pipes' harmful articles and Newsweek's negative reports. He concluded with comments on the twin processes of"lslamization" and "kafirization" and briefly explained how they impacted upon the concepts of democracy, pluralism, and minorities. In Ali Mazrui's presentation, two types of globalization were pointed out: economic and cultural. The first type has deepened the divisions and ...