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Marabout Women in Dakar: Creating Authority in Islamic Knowledge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Amber B. Gemmeke
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Abstract

In studies concerning Islam and gender in West Africa, the expertise of women in Islamic esoteric practices is often overlooked. These practices, that include divination, dream interpretation and prayer sessions, are central in politics, economics and the daily life of most West Africans. Furthermore, their products (such as amulets) and their practitioners (marabouts) travel to Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. Despite the importance of Islamic esoteric practices in West Africa and the rest of the world, they are understudied. In this article, I focus upon the life and work of two marabout women living in Dakar: Ndeye Meissa Ndiaye and Coumba Keita. Their position is exceptional: Islamic esoteric knowledge is a particularly male-dominated field. This article describes how two women's Islamic esoteric expertise is negotiated, legitimated and publicly recognized in Dakar.

Dans les études sur l'islam et la relation entre les sexes en Afrique de l'Ouest, l'expertise des femmes en matière de pratiques ésotériques islamiques est souvent occultée. Ces pratiques, qui incluent la divination, l'interprétation des rêves et les séances de prière, sont au cœur de la politique, de l’économie et de la vie quotidienne d'une majorité d'Ouest-Africains. De plus, leurs produits (tels qu'amulettes) et leurs praticiens (marabouts) vont jusqu'en Europe, aux Etats-Unis et au Moyen-Orient. Malgré leur importance en Afrique de l'Ouest et dans le reste du monde, les pratiques ésotériques islamiques sont négligées dans les études. Cet article se concentre sur la vie et le travail de deux femmes marabouts qui vivent à Dakar : Ndeye Meissa Ndiaye et Coumba Keita. Leur situation est exceptionnelle : la connaissance ésotérique islamique est un domaine particulièrement dominé par les hommes. Cet article décrit la manière dont l'expertise ésotérique islamique de deux femmes est négociée, légitimisée et publiquement reconnue à Dakar.

Type
Research-Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 79 , Issue 1: Knowledge in Practice: Expertise and the Transmission of Knowledge , February 2009 , pp. 128 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2009

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