Stéphane Pradines – författare

Explores the role of Islam in forming and transforming interconnectivity across the Indian Ocean World from a longue dur e perspectiveHighlights the centrality of Muslim cultures in understanding interconnectivity across the Indian OceanExplores the role of Islam in forming and transforming global interactions and local agencies across the Indian OceanOffers intra-Muslim perceptions of beliefs, practices and activities, both religious and otherPresents 15 case studies across Ethiopia, Gujarat, Java, Kerala, the Malay-Indonesian archipelago, Maldives, Oman, Tanzania, Zanzibar and the Persianate cultural zoneThis book examines the role of Muslim communities in the emergence of connections and mobilities across the Indian Ocean World from a longue dur e perspective. Spanning the 7th century through the medieval period until the present day, this book aims to move beyond the usual focus on geographical sub-regions to highlight different aspects of interconnectivity in relation to Islam. Analysing textual and material evidence, contributors examine identities and diasporas, manuscripts and literature, as well as vernacular and religious architecture. It aims to explore networks and circulations of peoples, ideas and ideologies, as well as art, culture, religion and heritage. It focuses on global interactions as well as local agencies in context.

The subject in this, Number 58 of the series of Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology, is the range of fortifications on the East African coast. The author traces the development of defences from the 10th to the 19th centuries, from the beginnings of Islamicisation and the apogee of the city-states, to Portugese and Ottoman rule. This broad approach encompasses the main features of military architecture and its interaction with urban societies. As well as defensive structures, the Swahili sites also symbolise urban and non-military use. These appeared from the 10th century, a period where the employment of stone architecture became common. The Swahili centres have both a synchronous and diachronic value; they are witnesses to the political and economic relationships between contemporary settlements, and represent the evolution of urban living. Forts and fortifications reflected royal power, and their study provides a political dimension that affords an insight into the complex relations between the different city-states along this dynamic and vast coastline. The military edifices reflect the periodic tensions and grand events that have shaped the history of the African east littoral.