The expansion of Islam in northwest Africa has been very much associated with the spread of brotherhood movements (turuq). Religious and educational practices as well as collective rules of conduct... Show moreThe expansion of Islam in northwest Africa has been very much associated with the spread of brotherhood movements (turuq). Religious and educational practices as well as collective rules of conduct carry the imprints of these movements, the political and economic influence of which has been - and remains - decisive in vast regions from Mauritania to Nigeria, from the Sudan to Senegal. Recent developments, however, indicate an increase in power of a neo-fundamentalist inspirational Islam originating in the Middle East, which presents itself as a rival to the ideas and practices developed by the local versions of asawwuf (Muslim mysticism) organized as brotherhoods. Show less
Since the early 1980s, the ideological landscape of Mauritania, dominated by an elite that originated from the political struggle for independence, has fallen into decline. In a time of economic,... Show moreSince the early 1980s, the ideological landscape of Mauritania, dominated by an elite that originated from the political struggle for independence, has fallen into decline. In a time of economic, social, and political crisis, neither the political elite nor the military was capable of meeting the expectations of Mauritanian society. The modernist projects, timidly undertaken since the independence, only reinforced economic and cultural dependency on the Western model. The failure of the national elite was blatant, and new social frameworks began to emerge in order to end the ‘state of grace’ enjoyed by the political power at the time. Show less
