Book: On Trans-Saharan Trails

Ghislaine Lydon’s new book Islamic Law, Trade Networks, and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Nineteenth-Century Western Africa looks very interesting and coud provide a fruitful comparison for the study of the historical development of Islamic law in Southeast Asia, which was also heavily influenced by trade networks and cross-cultural exchange. Here’s a description of the book:

This study is the first of its kind to examine the history and organization of trans-Saharan trade in western Africa using original source material. It documents the internal dynamics of a trade network system based on a case-study of the Wad Nun traders, who specialized in outfitting camel caravans in the nineteenth century. Through an examination of contracts, correspondence, fatwas, and interviews with retired caravaners, Lydon shows how traders used their literacy skills in Arabic and how they had recourse to experts of Islamic law to regulate their long-distance transactions. The book also examines the methods employed by women participating in caravan trade. By embracing a continental approach, this study bridges the divide between West African and North African studies. The work will be of interest to historians of African, Middle Eastern, and world history and to scholars of long-distance trade, Muslim societies, and Islamic law.