"I know of no one who has taken such an ambitious swath of time and done such a good job of showing the continuity and change across those one hundred years.... a splendid achievement, the result of decades of research and reflection." David Robinson

Controlling Knowledge examines the history of West African Muslim society in the Republic of Mali, formerly the Soudan Francais, in the 20th century. Focusing on the transformation of Muslim institutions especially modernized Muslim schools (medersas) and voluntary organizations over the past hundred years, Louis Brenner uncovers the...