From rebels to rulers: writing legitimacy in the early Sokoto state

Introduction -- 1. Sources of legitimacy in the nineteenth-century Sahel -- 2. Discourses of dissent and moderation -- 3. 'Lesser of two evils': the succession of Muhammad Bello -- 4. 'God has subjugated this land for me': Bello's rule of Sokoto 1821-1837 -- Conclusion

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Naylor, Paul (Author)
Format: Print Book
Language:English
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Published: Woodbridge, Suffolk Rochester, NY James Currey 2021
In:Year: 2021
Series/Journal:Religion in transforming Africa
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Usuman dan Fodio 1754-1817 / Bello, Muḥammad, Sokoto, Sultan 1781-1837 / Kalifat Sokoto / Islam / Legitimacy / Historiography / History 1790-1837
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Erscheint auch als: 9781800102347
Description
Summary:Introduction -- 1. Sources of legitimacy in the nineteenth-century Sahel -- 2. Discourses of dissent and moderation -- 3. 'Lesser of two evils': the succession of Muhammad Bello -- 4. 'God has subjugated this land for me': Bello's rule of Sokoto 1821-1837 -- Conclusion
Sokoto was the largest and longest lasting of West Africa's nineteenth-century Muslim empires. Its intellectual and political elite left behind a vast written record, including over 300 Arabic texts authored by the jihad's leaders: Usman dan Fodio, his brother Abdullahi and his son, Muhammad Bello (known collectively as the Fodiawa). Sokoto's early years are one of the most documented periods of pre-colonial African history, yet current narratives pay little attention to the formative role these texts played in the creation of Sokoto, and the complex scholarly world from which they originated. Far from being unified around a single concept of Muslim statecraft, this book demonstrates how divided the Fodiawa were about what Sokoto could and should be, and the various discursive strategies they used to enrol local societies into their vision. Based on a close analysis of the sources (some appearing in English translation for the first time) and an effort to date their intellectual production, the book restores agency to Sokoto's leaders as individuals with different goals, characters and methods. More generally, it shows how revolutionary religious movements gain legitimacy, and how the kind of legitimacy they claim changes as they move from rebels to rulers
ISBN:1847012701