May 17-19, 2007

Islam and the Public Sphere in Africa

A conference sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA) Program of African Studies, Northwester University, Evanston campus

From May 17-19, 2007, ISITA convened an international conference titled "Islam and the Public Sphere in Africa." Funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, this event brought together scholars from Africa, Europe, and the United States for three days of stimulating discussions on the role of Islam in contemporary political life in Africa. The conference opened on May 17 with a keynote address by distinguished Sudanese scholar of Islam and human rights, Abdullahi Ahmed-An-Na'im (Emory University), titled "Islam, Politics, and the State: Mediating Permanent Paradox." Speaking before a large audience of students, faculty, and community members, An-Na'im's talk addressed the "permanent paradox" of how to separate religion from the state, given the permanent reality of the connectedness of religion and politics. Drawing on the notion of the contingent role of Islam in Africa, An-Na'im raised the question of how to organize the public sphere in ways that facilitate the mediation of that paradox, over time.

The keynote was followed by two days of panel discussions, beginning with one on Senegal that included presentations on the press and religious lobbies, women in the public sphere, judicial approaches to secularism, religious education and human rights, new paradigms for understanding the relationship between Islam and secularism, and the reasons that militant Islam has been a weak phenomenon in Senegal. A panel on Nigeria included presentations on /sharia/ legislative enactments, women's public and private reactions to /sharia/ and /hudd/, the role of the /ulama/ in the 2007 elections, and gender and Islam in Nigeria's public sphere. Additional presentations addressed the intersection of Islam, politics, and transnationalism, the reform of the family law code in Morocco, and developments in Kenya and South Africa, where Muslims are in the minority. The conference also featured a special session in honor of ISITA's co-founder John Hunwick (emeritus, religion and history), where his colleagues, friends, and former students shared stories and fond memories of their interactions with Professor Hunwick over the years.

Conference Program

Keynote Address Poster

Conference Poster

November 2-4, 2006

An international conference on Nigeria
Nigeria 2007: Political, Social and Economic Transitions

Program of African Studies, Northwestern University
Evanston Campus

On November 2-4, 2006, Northwestern’s Program of African Studies convened an international conference on "Nigeria 2007: Political, Social, and Economic Transitions”. Elections will be held in Nigeria in April 2007 when President Obasanjo completes his second and final term of office. In view of the political vicissitudes of Nigeria throughout its post-colonial history, this is an important moment to reflect collectively on the major challenges and prospects. Nigerian Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka delivered a public lecture – “Othello’s Dominion, Immigrant’s Domain” - at 5 pm on November 1 as part of the Northwestern’s campus-wide Othello Project.

The conference drew on a wide range of perspectives through the participation of scholars, activists and policymakers from Nigerian, European and North American institutions. Panel topics included politics and literature, HIV/AIDS, Islam and the public sphere, the Niger Delta, poverty reduction, democratic institution building and electoral politics.

“Nothing I have ever written will match the ongoing saga of Nigeria, absolutely nothing.” Wole Soyinka
                                                           

Conference Program

Conference Statement

Conference Report

Related Reports on 2007 Elections in Nigeria:
Report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Nigeria (APPG)
Observations and Recommendations of the November 2006 APPG Visit to Nigeria

"African Renewal: Report of a Conference on State, Conflict and Democracy in Africa "

2007 marks Ghana's Golden Jubilee as the country celebrates 50 years of independence (1957-2007). In honor of this milestone, a series of activities has been scheduled throughout the year (January-December 2007) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence uder the theme of "Championing African Excellence." (Visit the official website at http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/ghana50/ for more details.)

In light of this celebration, it is also important to note the conference on African Renewal, held at MIT, from March 6 to 9, 1997, that was scheduled to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the independence of Ghana. The four-day event provided an opportunity to assess the political progress and problems of the region as a result of the tumultuous developments since the end of the Cold War. Revised versions of the twenty-four papers from the conference are available in an edited volume, State, Conflict and Democracy in Africa (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998).

Publications from Conference held March 6-9, 1997 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology