Muslim Families in Global Senegal

"A lively, insightful, and important study of exchange practices between Senegal and a circuit of global trade. The innovative focus is on the meanings, not the social and economic functions, of exchange."

~Karen Tranberg Hansen, Northwestern University

"A first-rate ethnography of Muslim women in Dakar. . . . provides not only a wealth of detail but extremely fine-grained analysis of women's exchange networks, both in the domains of commerce but especially in ritual contexts."

~Robert Launay, Northwestern University

"Since the early 1990s, Beth Buggenhagan has been working with an extended Wolof Muslim family in urban Senegal, following the trajectories, travels and tribulations of various members. . . What makes the book a unique and innovative contribution . . . is the way it addresses the broad theme of continuity and change. . .May 2014"

~Africa

"Muslim Families in Global Senegal is an engaging account of the struggles, at once moral and material, which Senegalese families face to ensure social reproduction in the current context of fiscal instability and religious reforms. It contributes a nuanced understanding of gendered economies in a Muslim society and is highly suitable for classroom adoption due to its relatively short length and the clarity of its presentation. Beth Buggenhagen brings to this ethnography a sustained history of research in Senegal as well as a keen understanding of the Murid diaspora and its role in the Senegalese economy."

~Journal of African History

"This book offers a powerful entry point into a world of meaning and practice that lies far beyond standard reports from the developing world that focuses on poverty, education, or the status of women."

~IJAHS

"While the author's focus is on the transformation in the role of women both within the family network and in the marketplace, the book allows readers to better understand the impact of globalism on the citizens of Senegal. . . . Recommended."

~Choice