Toward a History of Ideas in the Sahel

This chapter is an attempt to sketch out a prolegomenon to a “history of thought” in the Sahel. It investigates key periods, historical figures, and a library of documents, while also addressing some of the methodological issues raised by the specific conditions and history of the Sahel. It proposes a cartography of the circuits and networks of transmission of knowledge that developed over the centuries in the region and facilitated the production of ideas. Mapping the production of ideas, the chapter explores historical processes, such as the spread of Islam, and modalities of expression to reveal common matrixes, modes of circulation, and exchanges, and uncover their dominant functions in the sociocultural and political dynamics of the Sahel.