Dorrit van Dalen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Pre-published drafts and papers by Dorrit van Dalen
Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, histoire orale, Salomon. Résumé: En 1909, au moment que le derni... more Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, histoire orale, Salomon. Résumé: En 1909, au moment que le dernier état musulman indépendent en Afrique, succombe au pouvoir Français, le lettré Ꜥ 1 E 2 4 Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī écrit un traité dans lequel il explique pourquoi les Musulmans 1 E 6 3 1 E 2 5 peuvent rester dans leur pays et vivre en "réconciliation"(ul) avec les vainqueurs Chrétiens. Plus que cent ans après, l'auteur et son traité, 1 E 6 3 1 E 2 5 Tab irat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Eclaircissement pour ceux qui sont embrouillés par l'horreur de la discorde de nos jours) ont acquis une nouvelle réputation. Cet article explore les raisons pourquoi al-Tarjumī est ressuscité, et étudie la relation entre son travail et sa réputation. Je propose que, actuellement, on fait appel à son plaidoyer savant pour la réconciliation avec les occupants non-musulmans du Ouaddai pour renforcer la position des Musulmans traditionnels au Tchad visà-vis des fondamentalistes; et que, appuyé par le roi Salomon, al-Tarjumi est devenu le caractère central dans un narratif de "wisdom literature" (littérature de sagesse). L'étude est basée sur trois types de sources: la lecture du traité d'al-Tarjumī, littérature secondaire sur l'histoire de son époque, et d'interviews réalisées en novembre 2017 dans les villes d'Abéché, Mongo et N'djamena.-1 E 2 5 1 E 6 2 1 E 2 5 L'historien Tchadien Mu ammad ale Ayoub avait déjà entendu parler de ce traité quand, en 1992, il a trouvé une copie chez un descendant d'al-Tarjumī à Biltine. 1 1 Je suis reconnaissante au professeur Mahamat Saleh Ayoub, qui m'a proposé d'étudier Ꜥ 1 E 2 4 Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī, comme il l'a fait lui même, et qui a généreusement partagé ses photocopies du manuscript; à Andrea Brigaglia, à l'historien futur Bichara Abdoulaye et au dr. Djimet Seli pour leurs excellents conseils et assistance. Cet article est lié à une version accepté par Die Welt des Islams en 2018, à apparaître en 2023.
Die Welt des Islams, 2024
ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, oral history, Solomon. Abstract: In 1909, when the sultanate of... more ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, oral history, Solomon. Abstract: In 1909, when the sultanate of Wadai, until then the last independent Muslim state in Africa, succumbed to French authority, the scholar ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī wrote a treatise in which he explained why Muslims could remain in the country and live in "reconciliation" (Ṣulḥ) with the Christian conqueror. More than a hundred years later, the author and this treatise, Tabsirat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Enlightenment of the Perplexed on the Horror of the Trials of our Time) have acquired a new reputation. This article explores the reasons why al-Tarjumī revives, and the relation between his work and his reputation. It will argue that his learned plea for reconciliation with the non-muslim colonial occupants of Wadai is now called upon to strenghten the position of traditional Muslims in Chad visa -vis fundamentalists; and that, with the help of King Solomon, al-Tarjumī has turned into the central figure of a narrative of wisdom literature. The study is based on three types of sources: a reading of al-Tarjumī's treatise, secondary literature about the history of his time, and interviews carried out in november 2017 in the Chadian cities of Abeche, Mongo and Ndjamena. Muslim cemeteries in Chad are not easy to recognise. Graves are not marked and graveyards are just open spaces, usually outside towns or cities. The Maqābir al-shuhadā' (Cemetery of the martyrs) in Abeche, the capital of the province of Wadai, is a walled-in empty space in the Shiq al-fukara ward. It is said to be the burial place of a few dozen victims, all learned Muslims, of a massacre committed by order of a French colonial officer in 1917, which came to be known as the kubkub tragedy. At the foot of a large tree, one plot is delineated by bricks that stick obliquely out of the sand, like a ring of teeth. Here lies, according to the notables of the city, the body of ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, the most important scholar of his time. The demarcation, however, is of very recent date and the choice of this particular spot is based on an illusion. The identification of al-Tarjumī's grave is the result of the revival of his fame and part of a new tradition. This article will explore the reasons why al-Tarjumī revives, and the relation between his work and his reputation. It will argue that his scholarly plea for reconciliation with the non-muslim colonial occupants of Wadai is now called upon to strenghten the position of traditional Muslims in Chad visa -vis fundamentalist co-religionists. The study is based on three types of sources: a reading of al-Tarjumī's best known text Tabsirat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Enlightenment of the Perplexed on the Horror of the Trials of our Time) secondary literature about the history of his time, and interviews carried out in november 2017 in Abeche, Mongo and Ndjamena.
Books by Dorrit van Dalen
Leiden University Libraries, 2020
https://mouse.digitalscholarship.nl This online, interactive textbook contains a growing collect... more https://mouse.digitalscholarship.nl This online, interactive textbook contains a growing collection of lessons in codicology-the study of handwritten documents or codices-and palaeography from the Middle East, Islamic Africa and beyond. The lessons guide the student through the ways books were made and used there before the printing press, by investigating the traces left by producers, owners and readers of manuscripts. Using your mouse, you will come close to people in the manuscript age as they produced, transmitted, cherished and "consumed" the written texts. The lessons are centered around fully digitalised manuscripts from the oriental collection of Leiden University Libraries. They include samples in Arabic, Persian and Coptic, from cultures ranging from the Maghrib to Mughal India. The lessons can be read in any order. All include suggestions for further reading and questions (with answers) or assignments.
Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It i... more Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area stretching across the African continent just south of the Sahara. From the time of the Crusades, when Europeans purchased it in Arab countries, it has played an ever-growing role in the global economy. It is now a common ingredient in foods, sodas, and cosmetics. Through the lens of the tears of the acacia, relations of dependence in the global economy seem reversed.
Combining cultural history with travel writing, Dorrit van Dalen follows the story from Shakespeare to Bin Laden and from the Industrial Revolution to a veteran of a recent coup d’état in Chad.
Only three chapters are shown here.
Brill 2016, 2016
The seventeenth century was a period of major social change in central sudanic Africa. Islam spre... more The seventeenth century was a period of major social change in central sudanic Africa. Islam spread from royal courts to rural communities, leading to new identities, new boundaries and new tasks for experts of the religion. Addressing these issues, the Bornu scholar Muḥammad al-Wālī acquired an exceptional reputation. Dorrit van Dalen’s study places him within his intellectual environment, and portrays him as responding to the concerns of ordinary Muslims. It shows that scholars on the geographical margins of the Muslim world participated in the debates in the centres of Muslim learning of the time, but on their own terms. Al-Wālī’s work also sheds light on a century in the Islamic history of West Africa that has until now received little attention.
Het Academiegebouw is het hart van de Universiteit Leiden. In dit boek horen we het in elke ruimt... more Het Academiegebouw is het hart van de Universiteit Leiden. In dit boek horen we het in elke ruimte kloppen. Soms krachtig, als het gaat over de Verlichting of verdediging van vrijheid, over helden in de wetenschap of de stencilmachines waarmee studenten in 1969 hun “aktie” voor democratisering aanslingerden. Voor andere verhalen legde Dorrit van Dalen haar oor tegen de muren van het gebouw: kleine verhalen over de tekeningen op de trap, een pedel met de slappe lach, de klokkenzolder als uitkijkpost in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, over Leidse liefde voor decorum die met grillen wordt gekruid.
Arabische gom. De fascinerende biografie van een van de meest exotische producten op aarde. Publi... more Arabische gom. De fascinerende biografie van een van de meest exotische producten op aarde. Published (in Dutch) by Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2006.
Tracing the history of gum Arabic in Europe and Sahel countries, the book follows the changing views in the west of the ‘Orient’, from the late Middle Ages to the 21st century. And tracing the roots of the gumtrade, it discloses surprising international relations. Gum Arabic is still a mystery, politically, economically and scientifically. It is essential in some of the most modern branches of our western industry, and at the same time much about it’s source, it’s chemistry and trade remain hidden. It has had that strange position for centuries, linking the histories of western countries with those of African peoples in unexpected ways.
Gum Arabic is tapped from the branches of certain acacia trees that only grow in the Sahel. It first entered history as an ingredient in ink and glue, for, among other things, mummies. When gum Arabic was imported into Europe, it soon grew in popularity, precisely at the time that Europe’s admiration for Byzantine culture reached its peak. Shakespeare, Jacob Cats and other poets of the time speak of ‘noble gum’ and use gum as a metaphor for Oriental dignity.
Other uses were discovered, for instance in textile printing. In the 18th century, the economic value of gum became so great that it inspired French pre-colonial politics in West Africa and even unleashed long drawn out ‘gum wars’ between France, England and the Netherlands. And on the isle of St Louis, in present-day Senegal, the ‘tears of the acacia’ caused the development of a strange upside-down society, in which the half-bloods formed the elite and trading gum remained prestigious, even when great losses were incurred.
Today, the obsession with gum Arabic continues. Gum is important in the foodstuffs industry and indispensable in the soft-drinks industry, because producing a synthetic form of gum Arabic is still impossible due to the incredible complexity of its chemical structure. Most gum is currently tapped in the Sudan, where Bin Laden once earned more than the odd penny in its trade. It put American and European buyers in an awkward position.
Since its introduction into Western Europe, gum Arabic has fired our collective imagination. The tale involves more than the use of written sources alone. The author also travelled to Senegal, Chad and Sudan, where the gum grows and where it is sold in deliberately obscure conditions – a situation which is sustained by the fact that the supply is always smaller than the demand of the world market. The fact that the buyer is so dependent on the seller gives a completely different picture than the usual one of European trade with suppliers in the Sahel.
From reviews:
What drives history? [..] Dorrit van Dalen provides the most original answer.
De Volkskrant, 23-9-2006
Papers by Dorrit van Dalen
Poems by Ranwa al-Amsi, Bakr al-Jaber, Yassin Adnan (in Arabic with Dutch translation by Dorrit ... more Poems by Ranwa al-Amsi, Bakr al-Jaber, Yassin Adnan (in Arabic with Dutch translation by Dorrit van Dalen), Maarten Doorman (in Dutch with Arabic translation by Ranwa al-Amsi) and Nisrine Mbarki (in Dutch with Arabic translation by Asma Azayza) Theme: Sea.
A literary essay about Cairo shortly before the outbreak of the Arab spring.
Articles by Dorrit van Dalen
Annual Review of Islam in Africa, 2014
The 17th century African theologist al-Wālī participated in the scholarly culture and debates tha... more The 17th century African theologist al-Wālī participated in the scholarly culture and debates that were going on in the metropolitan centres of that time, in the historic heartlands of Islam. He took part in the trend that developed in global Islam favouring logic, other rational sciences and the verification of received scholarly opinions. But he did so on his own terms. His choice of a position in such debates was mainly based on demands from his own society. He borrowed from the library of global Islam, from the ‘sections’ of kalām and story-telling, from Ḥanafīs and Mālikīs, whatever was relevant for his own work.
Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE, 2019
Muḥammad al-Wālī b. Sulaymān b. Abī Muḥammad al-Wālī al-Fulānī al-Baghirmāwī al-Barnāwī al-Ashʿar... more Muḥammad al-Wālī b. Sulaymān b. Abī Muḥammad al-Wālī al-Fulānī al-Baghirmāwī al-Barnāwī al-Ashʿarī al-Mālikī (fl. 1688) was a religious scholar in Baghirmī, a vassal-state of Bornū in central sudanic Africa, who was most famous for his elaboration of a commentary on Yūsuf al-Sanūsī’s (d. 895/1490) Al-ʿaqīda al-ṣughra.
M. de Bruijn (ed.), Biographies de la Radicalisation: des messages cachés du changement social. Langaa publishers, 2018
Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Wali était, au cours des dernières décennies du XVIIe siècle, un érudit r... more Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Wali était, au cours des dernières décennies du XVIIe siècle, un érudit renommé dans les régions du Baghirmi et du Bornou actuels. La définition radicale du mécréant qu´il avait développée était différente des idées du commun des mortels, mais était devenue influente sur sa génération et les générations futures. Les faits historiques sur la vie d'al-Wali sont rares, mais elles nous permettent de suivre l´évolution de ses idées les plus importantes. D'une part, ces idées indiquent une excellente éducation dans les sciences musulmanes; de l'autre, elles répondent aux préoccupations de la population de son environnement local en ce qui concerne l´identité musulmane, qu´elle soit «réelle» ou «fictive».
NRC Handelsblad, 2018
Historians in Chad review their opinion of the colonial era: much is forgiven, in the face of the... more Historians in Chad review their opinion of the colonial era: much is forgiven, in the face of the threat of a new dominance, by Salafism this time.
In the winter of 1609-1610, the Moroccan diplomat ͑ Abd al-͑ Azīz b. Muḥammad spent four months i... more In the winter of 1609-1610, the Moroccan diplomat ͑ Abd al-͑ Azīz b. Muḥammad spent four months in the home of the Mennonite Hebraist and Arabist Jan Theunisz in Amsterdam. The written reflections of their discussions on religion and everyday matters present an extraordinary example of the shifting attitude towards Islam in the seventeenth century in Western Europe. The two men developed a remarkable cooperation in the study of Arabic, a language for which around 1610 no textbooks were available. Theunisz' record of their conversations and a glossary which he compiled during these conversations are here for the first time subjected to an analysis which teases out the content and nature of their exchange in the context of early seventeenth-century contact between Christendom and Islam in Western Europe.
A digital exhibition about the contribution of oriental travelers in the 17th century to European... more A digital exhibition about the contribution of oriental travelers in the 17th century to European scholarship.
Why did a seventeenth-century scholar translate a Fulfulde text, that had long served to divulge ... more Why did a seventeenth-century scholar translate a Fulfulde text, that had long served to divulge Islamic theology in West Africa, into literary Arabic, a language that was only understood by people who were already advanced in their studies of the religion? This article explores whether his prime concern was not a translation from one language to the other, but the translation of an oral work into a written text.
In the seventeenth century, tobacco was fiercely debated from England to Istanbul. Muslim scholar... more In the seventeenth century, tobacco was fiercely debated from England to
Istanbul. Muslim scholars from Bornu and Baghirmi participated in this debate
and maintained that smoking was forbidden by divine law, long after
their counterparts in the heartlands of Islam allowed it. The question addressed
here is why and how the adamant rejection of tobacco in central
sudanic Africa was formulated. The study is based on a number of Arabic
manuscripts from the region and focuses on a treatise, written around 1700,
by Muḥammad al- Wālī b. Sulaymān. It is argued that he was as much inspired
by the popular opinion about tobacco in his home- environment as by
the writings of scholars from the Middle East. In folktales, tobacco was literally
demonised, and the rejection of “pagan” smokers helped to mark new
social boundaries. The dominant position regarding smoking was the result
of an exchange between islamic learning and popular culture in the region.
In de 17e eeuw bloeide de studie van oosterse talen in de Republiek der Nederlanden. 'Native spea... more In de 17e eeuw bloeide de studie van oosterse talen in de Republiek der Nederlanden. 'Native speakers' uit de Ottomaanse wereld en de Maghreb, die hier om verschillende redenen een periode verbleven, hebben daar een belangrijke bijdrage aan geleverd. Ze onderwezen Arabisch, Perzisch, Turks en andere talen aan geleerden in De Republiek, en verleenden advies en praktische hulp bij de verwerving van boeken.
Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, histoire orale, Salomon. Résumé: En 1909, au moment que le derni... more Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, histoire orale, Salomon. Résumé: En 1909, au moment que le dernier état musulman indépendent en Afrique, succombe au pouvoir Français, le lettré Ꜥ 1 E 2 4 Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī écrit un traité dans lequel il explique pourquoi les Musulmans 1 E 6 3 1 E 2 5 peuvent rester dans leur pays et vivre en "réconciliation"(ul) avec les vainqueurs Chrétiens. Plus que cent ans après, l'auteur et son traité, 1 E 6 3 1 E 2 5 Tab irat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Eclaircissement pour ceux qui sont embrouillés par l'horreur de la discorde de nos jours) ont acquis une nouvelle réputation. Cet article explore les raisons pourquoi al-Tarjumī est ressuscité, et étudie la relation entre son travail et sa réputation. Je propose que, actuellement, on fait appel à son plaidoyer savant pour la réconciliation avec les occupants non-musulmans du Ouaddai pour renforcer la position des Musulmans traditionnels au Tchad visà-vis des fondamentalistes; et que, appuyé par le roi Salomon, al-Tarjumi est devenu le caractère central dans un narratif de "wisdom literature" (littérature de sagesse). L'étude est basée sur trois types de sources: la lecture du traité d'al-Tarjumī, littérature secondaire sur l'histoire de son époque, et d'interviews réalisées en novembre 2017 dans les villes d'Abéché, Mongo et N'djamena.-1 E 2 5 1 E 6 2 1 E 2 5 L'historien Tchadien Mu ammad ale Ayoub avait déjà entendu parler de ce traité quand, en 1992, il a trouvé une copie chez un descendant d'al-Tarjumī à Biltine. 1 1 Je suis reconnaissante au professeur Mahamat Saleh Ayoub, qui m'a proposé d'étudier Ꜥ 1 E 2 4 Abd al-aqq al-Sanūsī, comme il l'a fait lui même, et qui a généreusement partagé ses photocopies du manuscript; à Andrea Brigaglia, à l'historien futur Bichara Abdoulaye et au dr. Djimet Seli pour leurs excellents conseils et assistance. Cet article est lié à une version accepté par Die Welt des Islams en 2018, à apparaître en 2023.
Die Welt des Islams, 2024
ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, oral history, Solomon. Abstract: In 1909, when the sultanate of... more ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, oral history, Solomon. Abstract: In 1909, when the sultanate of Wadai, until then the last independent Muslim state in Africa, succumbed to French authority, the scholar ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī wrote a treatise in which he explained why Muslims could remain in the country and live in "reconciliation" (Ṣulḥ) with the Christian conqueror. More than a hundred years later, the author and this treatise, Tabsirat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Enlightenment of the Perplexed on the Horror of the Trials of our Time) have acquired a new reputation. This article explores the reasons why al-Tarjumī revives, and the relation between his work and his reputation. It will argue that his learned plea for reconciliation with the non-muslim colonial occupants of Wadai is now called upon to strenghten the position of traditional Muslims in Chad visa -vis fundamentalists; and that, with the help of King Solomon, al-Tarjumī has turned into the central figure of a narrative of wisdom literature. The study is based on three types of sources: a reading of al-Tarjumī's treatise, secondary literature about the history of his time, and interviews carried out in november 2017 in the Chadian cities of Abeche, Mongo and Ndjamena. Muslim cemeteries in Chad are not easy to recognise. Graves are not marked and graveyards are just open spaces, usually outside towns or cities. The Maqābir al-shuhadā' (Cemetery of the martyrs) in Abeche, the capital of the province of Wadai, is a walled-in empty space in the Shiq al-fukara ward. It is said to be the burial place of a few dozen victims, all learned Muslims, of a massacre committed by order of a French colonial officer in 1917, which came to be known as the kubkub tragedy. At the foot of a large tree, one plot is delineated by bricks that stick obliquely out of the sand, like a ring of teeth. Here lies, according to the notables of the city, the body of ꜤAbd al-aqq al-Sanūsī al-Tarjumī, the most important scholar of his time. The demarcation, however, is of very recent date and the choice of this particular spot is based on an illusion. The identification of al-Tarjumī's grave is the result of the revival of his fame and part of a new tradition. This article will explore the reasons why al-Tarjumī revives, and the relation between his work and his reputation. It will argue that his scholarly plea for reconciliation with the non-muslim colonial occupants of Wadai is now called upon to strenghten the position of traditional Muslims in Chad visa -vis fundamentalist co-religionists. The study is based on three types of sources: a reading of al-Tarjumī's best known text Tabsirat al-ayrān min haul fitan al-zamān (Enlightenment of the Perplexed on the Horror of the Trials of our Time) secondary literature about the history of his time, and interviews carried out in november 2017 in Abeche, Mongo and Ndjamena.
Leiden University Libraries, 2020
https://mouse.digitalscholarship.nl This online, interactive textbook contains a growing collect... more https://mouse.digitalscholarship.nl This online, interactive textbook contains a growing collection of lessons in codicology-the study of handwritten documents or codices-and palaeography from the Middle East, Islamic Africa and beyond. The lessons guide the student through the ways books were made and used there before the printing press, by investigating the traces left by producers, owners and readers of manuscripts. Using your mouse, you will come close to people in the manuscript age as they produced, transmitted, cherished and "consumed" the written texts. The lessons are centered around fully digitalised manuscripts from the oriental collection of Leiden University Libraries. They include samples in Arabic, Persian and Coptic, from cultures ranging from the Maghrib to Mughal India. The lessons can be read in any order. All include suggestions for further reading and questions (with answers) or assignments.
Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It i... more Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area stretching across the African continent just south of the Sahara. From the time of the Crusades, when Europeans purchased it in Arab countries, it has played an ever-growing role in the global economy. It is now a common ingredient in foods, sodas, and cosmetics. Through the lens of the tears of the acacia, relations of dependence in the global economy seem reversed.
Combining cultural history with travel writing, Dorrit van Dalen follows the story from Shakespeare to Bin Laden and from the Industrial Revolution to a veteran of a recent coup d’état in Chad.
Only three chapters are shown here.
Brill 2016, 2016
The seventeenth century was a period of major social change in central sudanic Africa. Islam spre... more The seventeenth century was a period of major social change in central sudanic Africa. Islam spread from royal courts to rural communities, leading to new identities, new boundaries and new tasks for experts of the religion. Addressing these issues, the Bornu scholar Muḥammad al-Wālī acquired an exceptional reputation. Dorrit van Dalen’s study places him within his intellectual environment, and portrays him as responding to the concerns of ordinary Muslims. It shows that scholars on the geographical margins of the Muslim world participated in the debates in the centres of Muslim learning of the time, but on their own terms. Al-Wālī’s work also sheds light on a century in the Islamic history of West Africa that has until now received little attention.
Het Academiegebouw is het hart van de Universiteit Leiden. In dit boek horen we het in elke ruimt... more Het Academiegebouw is het hart van de Universiteit Leiden. In dit boek horen we het in elke ruimte kloppen. Soms krachtig, als het gaat over de Verlichting of verdediging van vrijheid, over helden in de wetenschap of de stencilmachines waarmee studenten in 1969 hun “aktie” voor democratisering aanslingerden. Voor andere verhalen legde Dorrit van Dalen haar oor tegen de muren van het gebouw: kleine verhalen over de tekeningen op de trap, een pedel met de slappe lach, de klokkenzolder als uitkijkpost in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, over Leidse liefde voor decorum die met grillen wordt gekruid.
Arabische gom. De fascinerende biografie van een van de meest exotische producten op aarde. Publi... more Arabische gom. De fascinerende biografie van een van de meest exotische producten op aarde. Published (in Dutch) by Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2006.
Tracing the history of gum Arabic in Europe and Sahel countries, the book follows the changing views in the west of the ‘Orient’, from the late Middle Ages to the 21st century. And tracing the roots of the gumtrade, it discloses surprising international relations. Gum Arabic is still a mystery, politically, economically and scientifically. It is essential in some of the most modern branches of our western industry, and at the same time much about it’s source, it’s chemistry and trade remain hidden. It has had that strange position for centuries, linking the histories of western countries with those of African peoples in unexpected ways.
Gum Arabic is tapped from the branches of certain acacia trees that only grow in the Sahel. It first entered history as an ingredient in ink and glue, for, among other things, mummies. When gum Arabic was imported into Europe, it soon grew in popularity, precisely at the time that Europe’s admiration for Byzantine culture reached its peak. Shakespeare, Jacob Cats and other poets of the time speak of ‘noble gum’ and use gum as a metaphor for Oriental dignity.
Other uses were discovered, for instance in textile printing. In the 18th century, the economic value of gum became so great that it inspired French pre-colonial politics in West Africa and even unleashed long drawn out ‘gum wars’ between France, England and the Netherlands. And on the isle of St Louis, in present-day Senegal, the ‘tears of the acacia’ caused the development of a strange upside-down society, in which the half-bloods formed the elite and trading gum remained prestigious, even when great losses were incurred.
Today, the obsession with gum Arabic continues. Gum is important in the foodstuffs industry and indispensable in the soft-drinks industry, because producing a synthetic form of gum Arabic is still impossible due to the incredible complexity of its chemical structure. Most gum is currently tapped in the Sudan, where Bin Laden once earned more than the odd penny in its trade. It put American and European buyers in an awkward position.
Since its introduction into Western Europe, gum Arabic has fired our collective imagination. The tale involves more than the use of written sources alone. The author also travelled to Senegal, Chad and Sudan, where the gum grows and where it is sold in deliberately obscure conditions – a situation which is sustained by the fact that the supply is always smaller than the demand of the world market. The fact that the buyer is so dependent on the seller gives a completely different picture than the usual one of European trade with suppliers in the Sahel.
From reviews:
What drives history? [..] Dorrit van Dalen provides the most original answer.
De Volkskrant, 23-9-2006
Poems by Ranwa al-Amsi, Bakr al-Jaber, Yassin Adnan (in Arabic with Dutch translation by Dorrit ... more Poems by Ranwa al-Amsi, Bakr al-Jaber, Yassin Adnan (in Arabic with Dutch translation by Dorrit van Dalen), Maarten Doorman (in Dutch with Arabic translation by Ranwa al-Amsi) and Nisrine Mbarki (in Dutch with Arabic translation by Asma Azayza) Theme: Sea.
A literary essay about Cairo shortly before the outbreak of the Arab spring.
Annual Review of Islam in Africa, 2014
The 17th century African theologist al-Wālī participated in the scholarly culture and debates tha... more The 17th century African theologist al-Wālī participated in the scholarly culture and debates that were going on in the metropolitan centres of that time, in the historic heartlands of Islam. He took part in the trend that developed in global Islam favouring logic, other rational sciences and the verification of received scholarly opinions. But he did so on his own terms. His choice of a position in such debates was mainly based on demands from his own society. He borrowed from the library of global Islam, from the ‘sections’ of kalām and story-telling, from Ḥanafīs and Mālikīs, whatever was relevant for his own work.
Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE, 2019
Muḥammad al-Wālī b. Sulaymān b. Abī Muḥammad al-Wālī al-Fulānī al-Baghirmāwī al-Barnāwī al-Ashʿar... more Muḥammad al-Wālī b. Sulaymān b. Abī Muḥammad al-Wālī al-Fulānī al-Baghirmāwī al-Barnāwī al-Ashʿarī al-Mālikī (fl. 1688) was a religious scholar in Baghirmī, a vassal-state of Bornū in central sudanic Africa, who was most famous for his elaboration of a commentary on Yūsuf al-Sanūsī’s (d. 895/1490) Al-ʿaqīda al-ṣughra.
M. de Bruijn (ed.), Biographies de la Radicalisation: des messages cachés du changement social. Langaa publishers, 2018
Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Wali était, au cours des dernières décennies du XVIIe siècle, un érudit r... more Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Wali était, au cours des dernières décennies du XVIIe siècle, un érudit renommé dans les régions du Baghirmi et du Bornou actuels. La définition radicale du mécréant qu´il avait développée était différente des idées du commun des mortels, mais était devenue influente sur sa génération et les générations futures. Les faits historiques sur la vie d'al-Wali sont rares, mais elles nous permettent de suivre l´évolution de ses idées les plus importantes. D'une part, ces idées indiquent une excellente éducation dans les sciences musulmanes; de l'autre, elles répondent aux préoccupations de la population de son environnement local en ce qui concerne l´identité musulmane, qu´elle soit «réelle» ou «fictive».
NRC Handelsblad, 2018
Historians in Chad review their opinion of the colonial era: much is forgiven, in the face of the... more Historians in Chad review their opinion of the colonial era: much is forgiven, in the face of the threat of a new dominance, by Salafism this time.
In the winter of 1609-1610, the Moroccan diplomat ͑ Abd al-͑ Azīz b. Muḥammad spent four months i... more In the winter of 1609-1610, the Moroccan diplomat ͑ Abd al-͑ Azīz b. Muḥammad spent four months in the home of the Mennonite Hebraist and Arabist Jan Theunisz in Amsterdam. The written reflections of their discussions on religion and everyday matters present an extraordinary example of the shifting attitude towards Islam in the seventeenth century in Western Europe. The two men developed a remarkable cooperation in the study of Arabic, a language for which around 1610 no textbooks were available. Theunisz' record of their conversations and a glossary which he compiled during these conversations are here for the first time subjected to an analysis which teases out the content and nature of their exchange in the context of early seventeenth-century contact between Christendom and Islam in Western Europe.
A digital exhibition about the contribution of oriental travelers in the 17th century to European... more A digital exhibition about the contribution of oriental travelers in the 17th century to European scholarship.
Why did a seventeenth-century scholar translate a Fulfulde text, that had long served to divulge ... more Why did a seventeenth-century scholar translate a Fulfulde text, that had long served to divulge Islamic theology in West Africa, into literary Arabic, a language that was only understood by people who were already advanced in their studies of the religion? This article explores whether his prime concern was not a translation from one language to the other, but the translation of an oral work into a written text.
In the seventeenth century, tobacco was fiercely debated from England to Istanbul. Muslim scholar... more In the seventeenth century, tobacco was fiercely debated from England to
Istanbul. Muslim scholars from Bornu and Baghirmi participated in this debate
and maintained that smoking was forbidden by divine law, long after
their counterparts in the heartlands of Islam allowed it. The question addressed
here is why and how the adamant rejection of tobacco in central
sudanic Africa was formulated. The study is based on a number of Arabic
manuscripts from the region and focuses on a treatise, written around 1700,
by Muḥammad al- Wālī b. Sulaymān. It is argued that he was as much inspired
by the popular opinion about tobacco in his home- environment as by
the writings of scholars from the Middle East. In folktales, tobacco was literally
demonised, and the rejection of “pagan” smokers helped to mark new
social boundaries. The dominant position regarding smoking was the result
of an exchange between islamic learning and popular culture in the region.
In de 17e eeuw bloeide de studie van oosterse talen in de Republiek der Nederlanden. 'Native spea... more In de 17e eeuw bloeide de studie van oosterse talen in de Republiek der Nederlanden. 'Native speakers' uit de Ottomaanse wereld en de Maghreb, die hier om verschillende redenen een periode verbleven, hebben daar een belangrijke bijdrage aan geleverd. Ze onderwezen Arabisch, Perzisch, Turks en andere talen aan geleerden in De Republiek, en verleenden advies en praktische hulp bij de verwerving van boeken.
Leiden University , 2023
The workload of the programme (lectures, research and reading) is equal to 3 EC. Monday 21 13.30 ... more The workload of the programme (lectures, research and reading) is equal to 3 EC. Monday 21 13.30 Collect LU-card at the entrance of the University Library. 14.00 Welcome (Prof. dr Petra Sijpesteijn) 14.15-16.00 Introduction to the Library and to handling manuscripts.
Fourth Leiden University Summerschool on manuscripts from the Middle East, Africa, the Far East a... more Fourth Leiden University Summerschool on manuscripts from the Middle East, Africa, the Far East and al-Andalus. August 23-September 22.
This symposium, the proceedings of which will be published, will approach al-Sanūsī and his thoug... more This symposium, the proceedings of which will be published, will approach al-Sanūsī and his thought through the prisms of Islamic studies and the social sciences along three main axes: Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Sanūsī, Between Islamic Studies and the Social Sciences