Tips for Finding Articles
Articles about this subject can be found in publications from a wide variety of disciplines. Use the databases on this page to get access to thousands of articles examining the subject from different perspectives or browse the key publications shown.
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Selected Books and Articles
Books
The Arabic Script in Africa by
The Arabic script in Africa is a collection of sixteen papers on the past and present use of Arabic script to write African languages other than Arabic, discussing the (ethno-)historical, (socio-)linguistic, and in particular grammatological aspects of such writing traditions.
Location: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2014-01-01
The Meanings of Timbuktu by
Contradicting the popular notion that African history survived only through the oral tradition, this collection of essays examines the rich legacy of written history on the continent, specifically in Timbuktu. It brings together articles written by a number of leading international scholars from Europe, the United States, and several African countries, covering a wide range of areas in the study of Timbuktu, from archaeology and literature to the intellectual life, libraries, and private collections in Timbuktu and West Africa.
Location: Available Online. (Also available from CODESRIA)ISBN: 9780796922045Publication Date: 2008-09-05
Muslims Beyond the Arab World by
Muslims beyond the Arab World explores the tradition of writing African languages using the Arabic script 'Ajami and the rise of the Muridiyya order of Islamic Sufi in Senegal, founded by Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba Mbakke (1853-1927). The book demonstrates how the development of the 'Ajami literarytradition and the flourishing of the Muridiyya into one of sub-Saharan Africa's most powerful and dynamic Sufi organizations are entwined. It offers a close reading of the rich hagiographic and didactic written, recited, and chanted 'Ajami texts of the Muridiyya, works largely unknown to scholars.The texts describe the life and Sufi odyssey of the order's founder, his conflicts with local rulers and Muslim clerics and the French colonial administration, and the traditions and teachings he championed that shaped the identity and practices of his followers.In analyzing these Murid 'Ajami texts, Fallou Ngom evaluates prevailing representations of the movement and offers alternative perspectives. He demonstrates how, without the knowledge of the French colonial administration, the Murids were able to use their written, recited, and chanted 'Ajamimaterials as an effective means of mass communication to convey the personal journey of Shaykh Ahamadu Bamba, his doctrine, the virtues he stood for and cultivated among his followers: self-reliance, strong faith, the pursuit of excellence, nonviolence, and optimism in the face of adversity. This,according to Muslims beyond the Arab World, is the source of the surprising resilience, appeal, and expansion of Muridiyya.
Location: Mugar Memorial Library (BP195.M67 N46 2016) and ONLINEPublication Date: 2016-07-01
Articles
Ajami Scripts in the Senegalese Speech Community. Fallou Ngom. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies. 10 (2010).
Ajami in West Africa. L. Souag. Afrikanistik online, Vol. 2010 (2011).
Introducing the Ajami Literatures of Islamic Africa . Fallou Ngom
To find more articles and books, try searching the BU Library for Ajami Script
Books by Language
Sóóbu ci gééjug Wolofal : njàng mu njëkk ci Wolofal = Diving into the ocean of Wolofal : first workbook in Wolofal/Wolof Ajami by Location: Mugar Memorial Library (PL8785.2 .N46 2010 )Publication Date: 2010Jaar - jaari - Boroom Tuubaa. by
Location: Available Online
For more Wolof Ajami works in print:
- Wolof Ajami Bibliography Bibliography of Wolof texts written in ajami and found throughout the Boston University Libraries.
For manuscripts available online through the BU Libraries:
- African Ajami Library AAL is a collaborative open access public repository of aggregated Ajami materials. This initiative between Boston University and the West African Research Center (WARC) is partly funded by the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme. Included are the following sub collections: Amharic Manuscripts Fuuta Jalon Pular Ajami Manuscripts Hausa Manuscripts Mandinka Ajami and Arabic Manuscripts of Casamance Senegal Philippe Beaujard Sorabe (Malagasy) Ajami Collection Wolofal Manauscripts Senegal
A Poem Concerning the Death of the Prophet Muhammad - Utendi Wa Kutawafu Nabii by This is a reproduction in photogravure of original pages from several manuscripts of a classical Swahili poem on the death of the prophet Muhammad. The poem bears witness to ancient lore concerning death and especially the death of that paradigmatic human being, the prophet, among African, West Indian Ocean and Islamic peoples. The text has a complete transliteration and translation of one manuscript, excerpts from others, and a quotation in a woven mat, with notes on how to decipher and edit texts and literature. It contains some Swahili text.
Location: Mugar PL8704.U76 E5 1991ISBN: 0773497056
The Story of Swahili by
Swahili was once an obscure dialect of an East African Bantu language. Today more than one hundred million people use it: Swahili is to eastern and central Africa what English is to the world. From its embrace in the 1960s by the black freedom movement in the United States to its adoption in 2004 as the African Union's official language, Swahili has become a truly international language. How this came about and why, of all African languages, it happened only to Swahili is the story that John M. Mugane sets out to explore. The remarkable adaptability of Swahili has allowed Africans and others to tailor the language to their needs, extending its influence far beyond its place of origin. Its symbolic as well as its practical power has evolved from its status as a language of contact among diverse cultures, even as it embodies the history of communities in eastern and central Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean world. The Story of Swahili calls for a reevaluation of the widespread assumption that cultural superiority, military conquest, and economic dominance determine a language's prosperity. This sweeping history gives a vibrant, living language its due, highlighting its nimbleness from its beginnings to its place today in the fast-changing world of global communication.
Location: Available OnlineISBN: 9780896804890Publication Date: 2015-06-01
For more Swahili Ajami texts available in print at BU Libraries:
Jagoran koyan Hausa Ajami a aiwace= a practical guide to learning Hausa Ajami by
Each lesson displays a phrase in Hausa, instructions in English, space for the student to write the Hausa phrase in the Ajami alphabet and Ajami letters.
Boston University, African Language Program, African Studies Center, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
Location: Mugar Library PL8231 .K87 2017Publication Date: 2017
Hausa Prose Writings in Ajami by Alhaji Umaru from A. Mischlich/H. Solken's Collection by
Historical poetry in Hausa in Roman script covering many topics and regions with each section followed by English translation (pp. 54-298). The final part of the book is the Hausa original in ajami (pp. iv-clix).
Location: Mugar Stacks DT515.65 .U48 2000ISBN: 9783496026945Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Collected Works of Nana Asma'U, Daughter of Usman Dan Fodiyo, (1793-1864) by
Nana Asma'u Bint Usman 'dan Fodio, a nineteenth-century Muslim scholar, lived in the region now known as northern Nigeria and was an eyewitness to battles of the largest of the West-African jihads of the era. The preparation and conduct of the jihad provide the topics for Nana Asma'u's poetry. Her work also includes treatises on history, law, mysticism, theology, and politics, and was heavily influenced by the Arabic poetic tradition. This volume contains annotated translations of works by the 19th century intellectual giant, Nana Asma'u, including 54 poems and prose texts. Asma'u rallied public opinion behind a movement devoted to the revival of Islam in West Africa, and organized a public education system for women.
Location: Available Online and in Print (Mugar PL8234.A85 A2 1997)ISBN: 9780870134753
For more Hausa ajami texts available in print at BU Libraries:
- Hausa Ajami Bibliography Bibliography of Hausa texts written in Arabic script found throughout the Boston University Libraries.
For manuscripts available online through the BU Libraries:
- African Ajami Library AAL is a collaborative open access public repository of aggregated Ajami materials. This initiative between Boston University and the West African Research Center (WARC) is partly funded by the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme. Included are the following sub collections: Amharic Manuscripts Fuuta Jalon Pular Ajami Manuscripts Hausa Manuscripts Mandinka Ajami and Arabic Manuscripts of Casamance Senegal Philippe Beaujard Sorabe (Malagasy) Ajami Collection Wolofal Manauscripts Senegal
Theses and Dissertations
- Muḥammad ḥakim ʼAhmad. (2007).Philological Inquīry into Šayò ʼAhmad Šayḥ Sirāğ‘s Brille Saffa (ʻAjamī–Oromo) Mänzumā”. Unpublished Master‘s thesis. Addis Ababa University. Addis Ababa.
- Nuraddin Aman.(2012). ―Philological Inquiry on the history manuscript of Šayò Bakri Saphalo, kitāb ʼIrsāl As-sawāriò ilā samāʼ at-tawarih fī kašf ʻan tariò Oromo”. Addis Ababa University. Addis Ababa.
- Amir Bedru Ali (2017) - The Biographical Manuscript of Šayò Muḥammad Tağ Ad-Dīn with Historical Insights.
- Kemal Ibrahim (2012) – Catalogue of Manuscripts at Seddeqiyyu Mosque – Jimma Zone Sokorru.
- Habtamu Mossa - A Thematic Approach to the Mnzumas (POEMS) of Sheikh Muhammad Yassin (1895-1972): In South Wollo.
- Abdulaziiz Habiibee (2016) - Qaaccessa Hujiilee Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo Godina Harargee Bahaa Aanaa Gooroo Guutuu.
Article Databases
The following searchable databases can be used to find find journal articles.
- Linguistics Collection This link opens in a new window The Linguistics Collection is comprised of index and full-text databases covering all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. The collection includes the Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA), which abstracts and indexes the international literature in linguistics and related disciplines in the language sciences. And Linguistics Database, which includes full-text journals and other sources in linguistics including many titles indexed in LLBA.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window Indexes critical materials on literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore. Includes citations from worldwide publications: periodicals, books, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations and bibliographies.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window Despite the name, Web of Science is not just for scientists! Web of Science is one of the core general science databases covering all aspects of scientific literature. It also has a number of tools that make it a unique resource for finding scholarly literature. Item records come with links both to the works cited by the paper in question and the future works that cite that paper.
Getting Books Not Available at BU
There are several ways you can obtain books or articles that we do not own. These include:
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WorldCat Discovery. WorldCat Discovery allows current BU faculty, staff, and students to borrow books directly from other Boston Library Consortium libraries. Turnaround time is approximately three working days. (How to use WorldCat Discovery)
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Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary Loan services allow current BU faculty, staff, and students to request books, articles, book chapters, and other materials that our ILL staff will obtain from other libraries. Books generally take 2-4 weeks to arrive; articles are generally delivered electronically within 1-2 days.
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ILL online request forms for all patrons except those affiliated with the Schools of Law and Medicine
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Law Library's interlibrary loan page for Law School affiliates
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Alumni Medical Library’s ILL form for Medical School affilliates
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For general inquires to the Interlibrary Loan office, please call (617) 353-3706 or email ILLMML@bu.edu.
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- BLC Cards. A Boston Library Consortium Card allows the bearer to borrow—in person—circulating material from a member library, just as you would from a BU library. Boston University faculty, staff, and students on the Charles River Campus may obtain a Consortium Card by filling out an application form. Medical Campus affiliates apply at the Alumni Medical Library.
Librarian
Rachel Dwyer
she/ her
Contact:
African Studies Library
6th floor,
Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri 9am - 5 pm
rdwyer@bu.edu
6th floor,
Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri 9am - 5 pm
rdwyer@bu.edu
617-353-3726
Subjects: African Studies