The Symbols and Politics of Almoravid Rule: Negotiating Power in the Medieval Islamic West

FAIN: FB-57512-14

Janina M. Safran
Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA 16802-1503)

"The Symbols and Politics of Almoravid Rule" will provide a case specific historical analysis of three inter-related subjects that are relevant to understanding Islamic rule in North and West Africa: how rulers defined and expressed their legitimacy in ways that integrated or failed to integrate diverse Arab and Berber societies and cultures; how politics between the ruler and leading legal-religious scholars defined regime and community; and how events and individuals challenged the legitimacy and structure of rule and how the regime adapted to these challenges.