The Train and the Mosque: Control and Resistance Geographies in Senegal at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

This article highlights the relevance of geography in the dynamics of the French colonial control in Senegal, as well as the opposition to colonialism by the Muridist community, using real and imaginary geographies. Based on the historic reconstruction of Senegal colonial period towards the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, the relationship between both views of the world is analyzed as well as how they meet geographically to create imperialist and resistance dynamics. From the analysis of the meetings and breakups of the colonial power and the controlled Muslim communities, the role of the Muridist Sufi Islam is revealed as a bridge and mediator in Senegal’s colonial circumstances.

Keywords

• islam
• colonialismo e imperialismo
• geografía cultural
• resistencia
• iconografía, sufismo
• África Occidental
• Wolof