The influence of traditional and religious groups on modern politics is a significant factor in the development of many countries. In this volume Lucy C. Behrman investigates the political role of religious organizations in the West African country of Senegal.

She introduces her study with analyses of the historical conditions under which the Muslim brotherhoods emerged as a political force and of the ways in which the pattern of relations was established. The Senegalese brotherhoods are tightly-knit organizations, each led by a marabu. whose disciples depend on him in secular as well as...