Apart from the inclusion of educational illustrations, notes, indexes, and an introduction, Decolonizing Islamic Art in Africa is composed of four comprehensive sections. Each section comprises two or three chapters, written as case studies by experts. Consequently, all sections of the volume are interconnected in myriad thematic and chronological ways.
The opening section of the book addresses the theme of “Beyond Borders: African (and) Muslim Objects as ‘Relational Loci,’” taking into account the neglect of the reciprocal influence of Islam and indigenous African cultural systems. It attempts to shed light on artistic creations by Africans during the colonial and postcolonial eras.
The second part elucidates the topic of “Disobedient Media: Reclaiming African Muslim Expressive Cultures.” It delves into the intricate dynamics and symbiotic methodologies inherent to knowledge production, particularly as exemplified by artistic creations on the African continent. The blending of shared experiences is a result of interactions between people from different backgrounds. This section further illustrates the impact of the prejudiced colonial mindset, which has flourished on the continent and beyond to this day. Along these lines, African art is categorized and understood on racial and regional bases, regarding one as superior and the other as inferior, completely disregarding vernacular innovation and reciprocity.
The third part is dedicated to “Mobilizing Heritage: Painting Postcolonial Identities,” which is about the negotiation of local and foreign knowledge regarding the artistic expression of the people of Africa, as in this case the Islamic art of the continent. Furthermore, it considers the political complexities inherent in both domestic and diaspora contexts.
The fourth and final part of the volume, titled “Undisciplined Constructions: Relocating ‘Islamic’ Architecture in Africa,” takes examples from North Africa, and explores the historical evolution of architectural design in that part of the continent. Additionally, it examines how the construction and interpretation of buildings in Africa, over time, involves a blurring of the conventional distinctions between Muslims and non-Muslims, “modern” and “traditional,” and addresses the impact of colonialism and its aftermath. “Africa modernism vs. vernacular” or mutual influence, all the complex issues and involvements, especially regarding architecture, were explored in the region.
This book is a noteworthy contribution to the expanding corpus of literature on African art studies. It is at the forefront of interdisciplinary enquiry, skillfully interweaving theoretical discourses and methodological innovations. The volume provides a meticulous examination of the complex interplay between Islam and modernity in Africa, offering a multifaceted exploration through artistic and creative endeavors. Accordingly, it aims to challenge the Euro-American-centric preconceptions about African Islamic art. In doing so, it highlights the dynamic relationship between the African continent and Islam during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a relationship that may even predate these periods. By showcasing both the past and present state of the subject, the text also considers how art is exploited for political and identity formation. The volume further questions and challenges the colonial understanding of both African art as a whole and Islamic art in the continent. As such, the book is designed to broaden our understanding of the dynamic relationship between Africa and Islam during the designated period, a subject which has been widely overlooked or misrepresented to date. Furthermore, Decolonizing Islamic Art in Africa can be considered a breakthrough for its focus on two often-overlooked areas: African art in general and the Islamic art and architecture in Africa specifically. The book is a must-read scholarly work that offers valuable insights for specialists looking to broaden their understanding on the subject. As such it is an essential reading for scholars, general readers, and students of African culture. It further genuinely stimulates the curiosity of academics specializing in all areas of African culture, particularly those focusing on African Islamic art. Ultimately, Decolonizing Islamic Art in Africa is a captivating read and a valuable addition to our understanding of African Islamic art and its relationship with the modern art world.
Meanwhile, it would be anomalous for a volume of such magnitude to be entirely devoid of minor flaws, at least from the standpoint of the present assessment. Despite its conceptual richness and meticulous methodological rigor, the volume conspicuously lacks the initiative to define complex and dynamic terms such as “decolonization” in the context of its own argument (1–5). In this vein, Okot p’Bitek rightly states that “it would not be rational to reject everything of a colonial ancestry” (Okot p’Bitek, Decolonizing African Religions: A short history of African religions in western scholarship [Diasporic Africa Press, 2011, pp. xi–xii]). Therefore, for the sake of clarity and simplicity, it is both mandatory and indispensable to define the aforementioned term and similar others. In addition, the emphasis is on the artistic impact of Islam in Africa; as the editor of the volume puts it: “central to our project are … to elucidate African agency within global and local histories of Muslim cultural and artistic production and … to understand the generative role of Islamic thought, practice, and expression” (1–19). This appears to have essentially set aside multiple issues, such as the abundance of African indigenous arts, and their reciprocated influences with the rest of the world, thereby overlooking the universality of human ingenuity (R.I. Hackett, “Art and Religion in Africa: Some Observations and Reflections,” Journal of Religion in Africa [1994]: 294–308; Yaw Ofosu-Asare, Decolonizing Design in Africa Towards new theories, methods, and practices [Routledge, 2025, pp. xiii-103]).
Finally, these minor flaws do not deter from the enormous achievement of Ashley Miller and her colleagues, who have generously provided for those interested in African creative culture a truly significant gift.
