John Hanson
- Associate Professor, Department of History
- Editor, History in Africa
Education
- Ph.D. at Michigan State University, 1989
Contact Information
|
| Ballantine Hall, Rm. 731 |
| (812) 855-5212 |
Background
My research and teaching explores the religious imaginings of African Muslims. Currently I am writing a book on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a trans-national Islamic movement which gained a large following in twentieth century Ghana. Previously I wrote books on the Muslim movements in nineteenth century Senegal and Mali. Analysis of documents, testimonies and cultural artifacts underpins my investigation of the historical experiences of African Muslims. My teaching reflects my research interests and expands to include the full range of political, economic, social and cultural transformations associated with the African continent during the last six hundred years. I am interested in Middle Eastern history and hold an adjunct appointment in the Department of near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Selected Awards
- Fellow, National Humanities Center, 2009-10
- Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad fellowship, 2005
- Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, 2004
- Trustee's Teaching Award,Indiana University, 2001
Research Interests
- Africa
- Muslim communities
- Memory, narratives and material culture
Courses Recently Taught
- African civilizations
- History of Christianity and Islam in Africa
- History of Eastern Africa
- History of Western Africa
- Graduate colloquiums in African history on topics such as Muslim identities; Orality and Literacy
- Graduate seminar in African history: Colonial Encounters
Publication Highlights
Books/CD-ROMS
Friday Prayers at Wa (CD-ROM unit), in Patrick McNaughton, John Hanson, dele jegede, Ruth Stone, and N. Brian Winchester, Five Windows Into Africa (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000).
Migration, Jihad and Muslim Authority in West Africa; the Futanke Colonies in Karta
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996).
After the Jihad: The Reign of Ahmad al-Kabir in the Western Sudan, an anthology of Arabic documents, edited, translated into English and annotated by John Hanson and David Robinson (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1991).
Articles
'Sub-Saharan Africa after World War One,' in Francis Robinson, ed., New Cambridge History of Islam, Volume Five, Islam in the Age of Western Domination (Michael Cook, series ed.) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming).
'Islam, migration and the political economy of meaning: fergo Nioro from the Senegal River valley, 1862-1890,” Journal of African History, Volume 35, no. 1 (1994), 37-60.
