PAS Affiliates Series
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Aspects of religious expression in public space: Nouakchott, Mauritania

Elemine ould Mohamed Baba, History, University of Nouakchatt & visiting Fulbright scholar, ISITA

Abstract: Like other cities of Muslim world, Nouakchott developed an increasing religiosity during the last decades, it is however worthy to try to determine some local particularities within this overwhelming phenomenon. Given the huge Islamic tradition of Mauritania it may be relevant to know how the background of this society helps in negotiating the Islamic revival and the Islamism in general?

To address this issue we will describe some Public expressions of religiosity through their daily occurrences and the going-on processes (shouting sellers, audio cassettes shops, radio-TV broadcasting, mosque attendance, Islamic labels and music words).

The comparative approach and historical data will then be used as an explication attempt.

The central question being how historical religious heritage interacts with Islamic revival influences in producing current anthropological trends and situations. Are they acting in a complementary process or in a contradictory one?  How do universal values mesh with locally-constructed ideas about Islam?