Muslims Talking Politics: Islam and Democracy in Practice in Northern Nigeria

Most conversations about the “compatibility” of Islam and democracy take place among intellectuals and policymakers, with little reference to the lives and opinions of ordinary Muslims. Drawing on his recent book, Muslims Talking Politics (University of Chicago Press, 2016), Professor Brandon Kendhammer will discuss how working-class Nigerian Muslims actually talk about democracy and the role of Islamic values and law in government, and what their conversations tell us about the prospects for their coexistence. This event is co-sponsored by the African Studies Center and the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations