Architecture, Islam, and identity in West Africa
Subtitle: lessons from Larabanga
By: Michelle Apotsos
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 215
ISBN-13: 9781138192454; 9781138192461
Subjects: Buildings, structures; Cultural geography; Islam and architecture; Islam and culture
Description: Architecture, Islam, and Identity in West Africa shows the relationship between architecture and Islamic identity in West Africa. The book looks broadly across Muslim West Africa and takes an in-depth study of the village of Larabanga, a small Muslim community in Northern Ghana, to illustrate how the built environment encodes cultural history through form, material, and space, creating an architectural narrative that outlines the contours of this distinctive Muslim identity. Apotsos explores how modern technology, heritage, and tourism have increasingly affected the contemporary architectural character of this community, revealing the village's current state of social, cultural, and spiritual flux. More than 60 black and white images illustrate how architectural components within this setting express the distinctive narratives, value systems, and realities that make up the unique composition of this Afro-Islamic community.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Locating Larabanga: architecture and contemporary Islamic identity in West Africa; title: The road to Larabanga: a short history of Afro-Islamic architecture; title: Mallams, mosques, and mystic stones: the story of Larabanga; title: Building across borders: Larabanga in transition; title: Conclusion: lessons from Larabanga: the future of Islam and the built environment in West Africa.