Papers by Rüdiger Seesemann
Africa Spectrum
This paper is a response to Matthias Basedau's article published in issue 55/2020 of the pres... more This paper is a response to Matthias Basedau's article published in issue 55/2020 of the present journal. At a time when African Studies scholarship is rising beyond the flogging of dead horses, certain strands in the field in Germany seem to ignore much of the valuable scholarship and intellectual contributions by excellent African and non-African researchers alike. It is striking to see how Basedau falls prey to the same shortcomings that he draws our attention to, that is, the domination of African Studies by sources and figures outside the continent and the construction of Africa as a space of lack. This underscores the urgency of decolonizing African Studies at many levels, including liberating it from the straightjacket of area studies, interrogating purportedly objective scholarship, and opening it up to new theoretical perspectives. The restriction to comparative approaches will only ensure that these strands in African Studies remain stuck in their epistemological cul-d...
... on the Shadhiliyya Yashrutiyya dispels some of the myths surrounding Abdullah Darwesh before ... more ... on the Shadhiliyya Yashrutiyya dispels some of the myths surrounding Abdullah Darwesh before ... on to deal with the Comorian Mohammed Said Cheikh Al-Maarouf, principal propagator ... final contribution to this volume is Bakari's panegyric to Sayyid Omar Abdalla, a refreshingly ...
Sudanic Africa, 2000
... Tijani circles in Nigeria,Chad and the Sudan.10 As a result, the followers and scholars of th... more ... Tijani circles in Nigeria,Chad and the Sudan.10 As a result, the followers and scholars of the Tijaniyya order in Darfur were divided into two camps, either in support of, or in opposition to, Shaykh Ibrahim Sidl. Although the descendants of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani from cAyn MadI ...
PROLOGUE: "A FLOOD SHALL COME UPON MY COMPANIONS" INTRODUCTION: STUDYING SUFISM IN CONT... more PROLOGUE: "A FLOOD SHALL COME UPON MY COMPANIONS" INTRODUCTION: STUDYING SUFISM IN CONTEXT PERCEPTIONS AND INTERPRETERS OF SUFISM - ISLAM AND AFRICA - SUFISM IN CONTEXT - THE SETTING - SCOPE AND STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK 1. Beginnings: Ibrahim Niasse and the Advent of the Flood BIRTH, CHILDHOOD, AND ADOLESCENCE - EARLY CAREER - FAYDA - A SHORT HISTORY OF THE TERMINOLOGY - NIASSE AS BRINGER OF THE FLOOD - RECEPTION AND RESONANCE 2. Spiritual Training: The Way to Mystical Knowledge TARBIYA: AN OVERVIEW - SPIRITUAL ENERGY AND THE MYSTICAL STATE - JUSTIFYING TARBIYA - THE THREE STATIONS OF RELIGION - ANNIHILATION - THE SPECIAL LITANIES - "THE CUP MAKES ITS ROUND" 3. Seeing God: The Nascent Community INTERNAL TENSIONS - DISCORD IN LEONA - HIJRA TO MEDINA - NEW ATTACKS - THE REJOINDERS - VISIONS AND ECSTATIC UTTERANCES 4. Crossing Borders: Expansion in Senegal and Beyond CONSOLIDATION IN SENEGAL - THE SUPREME SAINT - SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES - PASSAGE TO...
University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Paper No. 24, 2020, 2020
A specialist in the study of Islam in Africa, Rüdiger Seesemann has held the Chair of Islamic Stu... more A specialist in the study of Islam in Africa, Rüdiger Seesemann has held the Chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Bayreuth since 2011. He is the Spokesperson of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, which started its operations in 2019. His research focus is on Islam in nineteenth and twentieth century-Africa, a field where he has published widely. His publications include The Divine Flood (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Sufism, Literary Production and Printing (Ergon Verlag, 2015; ed. with R. Chih and C. Mayeur-Jaouen). Seesemann's more recent work focuses on theories and practices of Islamic knowledge and engages wider theoretical and epistemological questions in the study of Africa.
Uploads
Papers by Rüdiger Seesemann