Political Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

On 28 and 29 October 2002, the conference 'Political Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa: Narratives, Itineraries and Networks' was organized by the research institute SEDET (Societes en developpement dans l'espace et dans le temps) of the UniversitŽ Paris 7 Denis Diderot. The objectives of the conference were to identify, analyse, and define the actors of political Islam in the different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where Islam has often been referred to as an Islam of brotherhoods (confreries). In earlier research the Islam of the brotherhoods is often depicted as peaceful and non-political, whereas the reformist groups are said to be political in scope and often use violence. But how do these trends actually relate?