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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Spiritual support: Female authority in the Islamic esoteric sciences
| Panel |
48. Women, Men, and Faith: Reconfigurations of Authority
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| Paper ID | 701 |
| Author(s) |
Gemmeke, Amber
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | In Dakar, the popularity of a few marabout women is a surprising exception: marabouts' Islamic esoteric knowledge is a domain dominated by men. This paper discusses the ways in which women can gain, nonetheless, authority in this domain. As a result of their exceptional position, the women face specific problems in legitimating their work. They not only need to convince their consultants that they are powerful, well educated, gifted, pious, and reliable -challenges every marabout faces in Dakar- but also that they, as women, possess qualities associated with men. To do so, they combine elements associated with male marabouts, with ideal Senegalese Muslim women, and with ?traditional? divination experts. They attribute their knowledge to teachers, jinni, dreams, and visions. The stories of two female marabouts, Meissa and Coumba, will serve as case studies for this exploration of women's authority in Islamic esoteric knowledge in Dakar. |
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