Revolutionary Mahdism and Resistance to Colonial Rule in the Sokoto Caliphate, 1905–6
- Title
- Revolutionary Mahdism and Resistance to Colonial Rule in the Sokoto Caliphate, 1905–6
- Abstract
- The Mahdist uprising of 1905–6 was a revolutionary movement that attempted to overthrow British and French colonial rule, the aristocracy of the Sokoto Caliphate and the zarmakoy of Dosso. The Mahdist supporters of the revolt were disgruntled peasants, fugitive slaves and radical clerics who were hostile both to indigenous authorities and to the colonial regimes. There was no known support among aristocrats, wealthy merchants or the ‘ulama. Thus the revolt reflected strong divisions based on class and, as an extension, on ethnicity. The pan-colonial appeal of the movement and its class tensions highlight another important feature: revolutionary Mahdism differed from other forms of Mahdism that were common in the Sokoto Caliphate at the time of the colonial conquest. There appears to have been no connection with the Mahdists who were followers of Muhammad Ahmed of the Nilotic Sudan or with those who joined Sarkin Musulmi Attahiru I on his hijra of 1903.
- Journal
- The Journal of African History
- volume
- 31
- issue
- 2
- page start
- 217
- page end
- 244
- Date
- 1990
- Language
- Anglais
- Type
- Article de revue
- Subject
- Mahdism
- colonialism
- resistance movement
- Sokoto Caliphate
- Spatial Coverage
-
Niger