This course surveys the history and historiography of Islam in Africa from its arrival in North Africa in the seventh century through the present day in postcolonial Africa while also paying attention to continuing points of contact and exchange between Muslims in Africa across the Sahara as well as the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds. Students will examine the history of Islam in Africa in light of issues such as conversion, interactions with other religious traditions, reform movements, slavery and race, education, gender, European colonial rule, and postcolonial politics. Possible sources for the course include Arab geographical and travel accounts, juridical texts debating social categories of race, slavery and gender, regional chronicles reflecting the interface between Islam and local African religious traditions, colonial reports revealing fears of Islam as a unifying force for Africans, and novels and films addressing Islam as a major theme.