Charisma and Ethnicity in Political Context: A Case Study in the Establishment of a Senegalese Religious Clientele
Author(s)
Villalon, Leonardo A.
Abstract
The marabout Sufi movement in Fatick, Senegal illustrates the dominance of sociopolitical needs over personal charisma for the success of a religion such as Islam. The general population of the area has shifted their religious affiliation to a Serer marabout, a charismatic leader. This shift corresponds to a social demand, since over 58% of the population is ethnically Serer. This latter indicates that the charismatic marabout Sufi movement in Islam is now the institutionalized method of social change.
