Medieval Studies Book Club: African Dominion: A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa

With the summer coming to a close, the Medieval Book Club would like to welcome all old and new faces back to Princeton this new academic year! We will kick off with African Dominion: A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa by Michael Gomez.

In African Dominion, Michael Gomez interweaves political and social history by drawing on a rich array of sources, including Arabic manuscripts, oral histories, and recent archaeological findings. Focusing on the Savannah and Sahel region, Gomez traces the exchange of ideas and influences with North Africa and the Central Islamic Lands by way of merchants, scholars, and pilgrims. Islam’s growth in West Africa, in tandem with intensifying commerce that included slaves, resulted in a series of political experiments unique to the region, culminating in the rise of empire.

All interested graduate students are warmly welcome! Our first gathering will be on Monday, September 16 at 6pm in 209 Scheide Caldwell. If you would like to join, please send an email to Mo van de Wege at mv9132@princeton.edu before Friday, August 23 and indicate whether you would like a free copy of the book from Labyrinth and if you have any dietary restrictions.

These meetings are for graduate students only.