The Mouride Confrérie: Origins and Evolutions of Political Power (1880s-1960)

Swanson, Simon

The Mouride Confrérie: Origins and Evolutions of Political Power (1880s-1960)

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10456/58255

Author(s)

Swanson, Simon

Date Issued

November 20, 2024

Abstract

Founded by Cheikh Amadu Bamba in the late 1880s, the Mouridiyya confrérie is a dynamic Muslim brotherhood that plays an enormous role in Senegalese politics. Emerging during the height of French conquest of West Africa, the Mouridiyya was seen as rebellious and Bamba, its founder, was exiled to Gabon in 1895. This hostility gradually decreased, and by the late 1920s, there were strong relationships of cooperation between the Mouridiyya and the French Administration. Although many scholars have attempted to understand the historical origins of the Mouride confrérie and characterize the roots of its political power, many important questions remain. Building on the vast literature of the Mouridiyya, I chart the historical development of the Mouridiyya from its origins in the late 1880s to the first decade of Senegalese independence, ending my discussion in 1970. I argue that the driving force between the Mouridiyya's relationship to the French Colonial Administration, to Senegalese politicians, and the post-colonial government is its economic dynamism and internal structural power. Through their political relationships, the Mouridiyya were able to translate their moral authority and economic force into tangible political power.

Major

History

Honors

History, 2025

First Reader(s)

Haywood, Kalé