Invoking the Invisible in the Sahara

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Invoking the Invisible in the Sahara situates battles over the meaning and control of Islamic esoteric knowledge (?jab) in Mauritania's history of racial and political struggles dating to the pre-colonial era. Innovatively using contemporary social media alongside traditional textual and oral sources, Pettigrew reveals the resilience and adaptability of both ?jab power and practitioners. 'Magic' in Mauritania has not disappeared; it has become a marketable commodity.' Ann McDougall, University of Alberta 'Combining methodological rigor with conceptual dexterity, this empirically rich, multilayered historical ethnography of l'hjab in the Saharan West documents how often-unseen forces and entities shape history, social structure, religious norms, and political power. This scintillating book ultimately reorients our understanding of the so-called Islamic esoteric sciences.' Zekeria Ahmed Salem, Northwestern University 'Erin Pettigrew's monograph offers a fresh interpretation of Islam and societal life in the Saharan West. Replacing local histories of Muslim esoteric sciences within the various cultural and social contexts that nurtured them, the author masterfully challenges notions of marginality and periphery in Islamic studies and African history.' Ismail Warscheid, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 'Erin Pettigrew combines extensive anthropological field research with a meticulous documentary investigation and gives, along the way ... a beautiful lesson in historical anthropology.' Abdel Wedoud Ould Cheikh, L'Homme. Revue francaise d'anthropologie