Abstract
While the word 'Ajamī traditionally refers to texts in many languages written with the modified Arabic script, the meaning has been expanded in the concept of 'Ajamization used in this volume. 'Ajamization is construed in this article, as it is operationalized in the volume, to refer to the various tangible and subtle enrichments of Islam, its culture, and its written and artistic traditions in Africa. 1 In this sense, it is not only the modification (enrichment) of the Arabic script that defines 'Ajamization, but also other features such as the content and the aesthetics of the texts. This paper focuses on the cultural dimension of 'Ajamization in two collections of Ethiopian Islamic texts written in Arabic.2 These texts encompass magic-related materials, including theurgic texts and invocations to jinn.3 I will examine these texts to ascertain whether they reflect a local cosmology, even if they are not written in Ajamī but in Arabic4.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Islamic Africa |
| Volume | 8 |
| Pages (from-to) | 171-192 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISSN | 2154-0993 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2017 |
| Event | Sacred Word: The Changing Meanings in Textual Cultures of Islamic Africa: A symposium dedicated to the memory of Professor John O. Hunwick (1936-2015) - Institute for the study of Islamic Thought in Africa: Northwestern University, Evanston, United States Duration: 21 Apr 2016 → 22 Apr 2016 http://www.africanstudies.northwestern.edu/publications-research/ISITA/ISITA%20symposium.html |
Conference
| Conference | Sacred Word: The Changing Meanings in Textual Cultures of Islamic Africa |
|---|---|
| Location | Institute for the study of Islamic Thought in Africa: Northwestern University |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Evanston |
| Period | 21/04/2016 → 22/04/2016 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- Islam in Africa