JAH Forum

The following three pieces constitute the third JAH Forum. The aim of this relatively new feature is to spark wide-ranging discussion and debate within the journal, and to encourage deeper reflection on significant trends and cutting-edge developments in various subfields of African history. Each Forum consists of two or more essays on a topic of broad interest within African history and beyond. When inviting contributions, JAH editors ask authors to discuss the proposed topic from their own unique perspectives while providing some assessment of existing scholarship – both historical and interdisciplinary – as well as some suggestions about where future studies might or should be heading. For this JAH Forum on Islam in sub-Saharan Africa, we asked Scott Reese, Benjamin Soares, and Jean-Louis Triaud to consider a series of questions related to the historical construction of Muslim identities in sub-Saharan Africa. How have African Muslims situated themselves and been situated by others within the global Muslim community (umma)? How do we account for the widespread perception that there is a distinctive sub-Saharan African Muslim identity that exists alongside or in opposition to other Muslim identities? How have African Muslims themselves understood their relationship to the umma? We hope that you find their responses as enlightening and engaging as we have.