المستخلص: |
This article discusses some features of the Orientalist School in Africa from traditional, historical, religious and social perspectives as covered by African orientalism. The article considers that the African continent is part of the cognitive field that interested orientalists because of the civilizational ties that link Africa to other Islamic countries, which were covered by studies of orientalism. The paper looks into the different stages through which the African orientalism went through with a specific focus on the achievements of African orientalists. The article also looks into the contemporary literature written on the subject, which represent a wealth of knowledge on Africa, despite, some noticeable bias and negative attitude towards Islam and Muslims from a colonialist ideological dimension. It later concludes that orientalism as a Western curriculum aimed at studying eastern societies encompassed the African continent by focusing on the Arab- Islamic legacy as well as prevailing local cultures in Africa. Furthermore, the article demonstrates through the compelling results and conclusions it presents that among the remarkable achievements of African orientalism is the translation, editing and publication of African history books that were written in Arabic before delving into specific writings on Islam and Muslims in Africa.
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