Examines the Islamization of Africa and literary traditions. Students learn about African texts written in the Arabic script (Ajami) and the spread of Islam and its Africanization throughout the continent. Texts written by enslaved Africans in the Americas are examined.
Boston University was well-represented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association. ASC Director, Fallou Ngom, delivered the African Studies Review Distinguished Lecture at the conference. A list of paper presentations and roundtables that BU faculty and students participated in can be found here!
Students, faculty, and staff filled the ASC last Tuesday for the Spring Student and Faculty Mixer. Director Fallou Ngom and Assistant Director Eric Schmidt led everyone in brief introductions and then gave a short presentation on the FLAS Fellowships, for which applications are now open. After the presentation, prospective applicants got to hear from current and former FLAS […]
Our NEH ʿAjamī Research Project is now live, and celebrating its website launch! The project ʿAjamī Literature and the Expansion of Literacy and Islam: The Case of West Africa that was awarded a NEH Collaborative Research Grant, aims to provide a new window into the history, cultures, and intellectual traditions of West Africa. It will […]
In July, the BU African Studies Center and the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana, signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a vision for a cooperative and multi-layered linkage serving faculty, students, and staff at both institutions. This agreement serves one of the ASC’s key mandates as a Title VI National Resource Center to […]
Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Mustapha H. Kurfi, and Fallou Ngom Grassroots Ajami literacy has been historically high in the communities of West Africa. While often viewed through the lens of its religious historical origins, it is increasingly evident that the use of Ajami scripts in a variety of African languages extends far beyond religious and educational contexts. […]
The Boston University African Studies Center has started work on an important scholarly project that provides a new window into the history, cultures, and intellectual traditions of West Africa. The project ʿAjamī Literature and the Expansion of Literacy and Islam: The Case of West Africa that was awarded a NEH Collaborative Research Grant, will digitize […]
Director Fallou Ngom spoke on the significance of Ajami writings at the Association of African Studies Programs spring meeting in Washington, DC on March 29. The conference brought together faculty and administrators from higher education programs from around the US to discuss opportunities and goals for African studies institutions.