Chpt. 8, Africa and Islam Flashcards
stateless society
African societies organized around kinship or other forms of obligation and lacking the concentration of political power and authority associated with nations
Ifriqiya
the Arabic term for eastern north Africa
Maghrib
the Arabic word for western north Africa
Almohadis
a reformist movement among the Islamic Berbers of northern Africa; later than the Almoravids; penetrated into sub-Saharan Africa
juula
Malinke merchants; formed small partnerships to carry out trade throughout the Mali Empire; eventually spread throughout much of west Africa
Sundiata
the “Lion Prince”; a member of the Keita clan; created a unified state that became the Mali Empire; died around 1260
griots
professional oral historians who served as keepers of traditions and advisors to kings within the Mali Empire
Timbuktu
a port city in Mali; located just off the flood plain on the great bend in the Niger River; population of 50,000; contained a library and university
Songhay (aka Songhai)
a successor state to Mali; dominated the middle reaches of the Niger valley; reached imperial status under Sunni Ali; rose up in 1403, and succumbed in 1591 to a Moroccan force in possession of gunpowerder and cannons
Muhammad the Great
extended the boundaries of the Songhay Empire; Islamic ruler of the mid-16th century
Hausa
peoples of northern Nigeria; formed states following the demise of the Songhay Empire that combined Muslim and pagan traditions
Sharia
Islamic law; defined among other things the patrilineal nature of Islamic inheritance
zenj
the Arabic term for the east African coast
demography
the study of population
demographic transition
the shift to a low birth rate and low infant death rates, created more stable population; first emerged in western Europe and the United States in the 19th century; some demographers believe that this is part of the process of shifting from an agrarian to an industrial society
Benin
a powerful city-state which came into contact with the Portuguese in 1485 but remained relatively free of European influence; important commercial and political entity until the 19th century
Kongo
a kingdom based on agriculture that formed on the lower Congo River by the late 15th century, with its capital at Mbanza Kongo; ruled by hereditary monarchy
Great Zimbabwe
a Bantu confederation of Shona-speaking peoples located between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers; developed after the 9th century; featured royal courts built of stone; created centralized state by the 15th century; its king took the title of Mwene Mutapa