Medieval/Africa: The Trans-Saharan World, 500–1700, Harvard University, February 5–6, 2015
This symposium explores the complex institutional, cultural, and religious relationships tying the societies of sub-Saharan Africa to one another and to the "medieval" worlds of the Mediterranean and Red Sea basins. Speakers from a variety of disciplinary and regional backgrounds will discuss the contours of the trans-Saharan region and its pivotal cultural, religious, and economic role, and consider the value of "Trans-Saharan Studies" as a rubric for understanding the broader African ecumene in the pre-colonial past.