Everyday Faith in Sufi Senegal
Everyday Faith in Sufi Senegal explores the historical, religious, cultural, and economic contexts of Islam in Senegal through the narrative first-hand accounts of peoples everyday lives. Drawing on rich ethnographic fieldwork conducted by the author over a period of seven years, the result is a critical look at Senegals religious diversity within Islamic beliefs and practices. Containing interviews from men and women in both rural and urban locations, this book is an important contribution to the literature on Islamic practices, providing a much-needed perspective from ordinary practitioners of the faith. It is essential reading for scholars of the anthropology of religion, Islamic studies, mysticism, African studies, and development studies.
Laura L. Cochrane is Professor of Anthropology at Central Michigan University, USA. She conducts ongoing research in Senegal concerning religious beliefs, visual arts, and environmental and economic concerns.
Routledge Studies in Anthropology
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First published 2017
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2017 Laura L. Cochrane
The right of Laura L. Cochrane to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Research for this book was funded by internal support from Central Michigan University, which continues to be encouraging of both my longitudinal research and new initiatives. I also thank my institutional support in Senegal, including the Muse de This and its director, Fadel Thiam, and the Ndem NGO.
My largest debt for this research goes to the families who have hosted me in Senegal since my research started there in 2003. I could not imagine a more hospitable, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and kind set of communities: it is a pleasure to visit them as often as possible. When I asked the individuals featured in this book if they would be interested in talking about their life histories and their faith for a book project, the response was uniformly positive, asking me if I had my audio recorder with me so that we could start because they had quite a bit to share. Thank you to those who shared their life histories with me, and thank you to their families. I refer to the narrative authors by their first names throughout to emphasize their personal relationship with their faith, expressed in a personal interview setting. The only exception to this is that I refer to two people with their commonly used titles of respect: Sri Babacar and Soxna Assa.
Along with these families, a number of people have made this book possible. Sarah Klein was my first host in Yoff in 2003 and introduced me to Laye Ngom, Momar Sene, and Ndeye Samb Lo; she also introduced me to Yoff as a community. Their families have made Yoff one of my homes in Senegal. Poponguines residents, particularly the Diallo family, always provide a warm welcome. In This, Ismala Cisss family, the Diagne/Ndiaye family, Annelise Goldschmidt, Phillippe and Laurie Sadios family, Etienne and Marie Senes family, and Rama Talls family are all often my hosts and have provided countless hours of conversations, delicious meals, and insights that are the basis for every research inquiry I have carried out in Senegal. Sri Babacar Mbow and Soxna Assa Ciss have extended extraordinary welcome to me in Ndem. All of Ndems daaras residents, to the person, and particularly the Diack, Mbow, Sy, Tall, and Thiam families, have shown radical hospitality to me. The residents of Ndems daara, many of whom contributed their ideas to this book, have educated me on both spirituality and cultural values of Baayfallisme . The open and transparent conversations with these friends in each of these towns, and their life examples, have taught me much about faith, lessons that I integrate into my own faith as an Episcopalian. Their life stories were the original inspiration for this book.
A number of friends, family, and colleagues (those categories overlap) read, re-read, and listened to portions of this book and provided crucial insights, including Yazmin Ali, Kathleen Anderson di Miranda, Tracy Brown, Tom and Mary Ellen Cochrane, David Ferris, Henry and Nancy Casey Fulton, Talat Halman, Vanessa Hildebrand, Anna Lisa Jacobson, John Robertson, Erin Stiles, Cedric Taylor, and Laurel Zwissler. Whenever possible, all interviewees in this book provided clarifications and edits on their interview transcripts and my field notes. John Bowen at Washington University in St. Louis and my colleagues at Central Michigan University have provided continued encouragement for this research. I especially thank my family for their continued support of me and this research. During his several visits to Senegal, my father often was a valuable part of these conversations.
At Routledge, Louisa Vahtrick and Marc Stratton made this project go forward; I am thankful to them and to Routledge for their faith in this project. Anonymous reviewers provided valuable edits and suggestions that helped sharpen the text during revisions. With all of this help, all errors are unintentional and my own.
