Intersecting Possible Effects: Cultural Trajectories in the Maqāmāt of Yoruba Scholars (Nigeria)

The work explores the cultural elements espoused in the Maqāmāt of Yoruba scholars. It aims at addressing those questions of cultural nexus in the Maqāmāt using historical, analytical and comparative methods fused with Edward Said's “expansive idea of history” and “contrapuntal method of reading”. It draws a line of departure from the abstract and linguistic appraisals of the Maqāmāt genres and expands the range to engage the likely inter/cross-cultural features of the Maqāmāt. Maqāmāt, as one of the most influential and innovative genres of Arabic literature, continue to wield its influence across cultures and now gain popular attention among Yoruba scholars. This particular Yoruba endeavours in the area of Maqāmāt suffer a close to absolute neglect in the research and this study will fill the vacuum. The study is divided into two parts. The first will elaborate on the theoretical and methodological as well as the historical issues pertaining to the genesis of Maqāmāt genres both in the Arabic educational system among Nigerians and in Nigerian literature in Arabic. This part will dig into how Maqāmāt managed to creep into the Nigerian Arabic Literature and the implications this had, particularly on contemporary Arabic literary writing in Nigeria and the Nigerian society in general. The second part will focus on the textual and discourse analyses of the works under study with the aim of explaining the cultural variances embedded therein. Comparative analysis through Said's "contrapuntal" method will be of immense benefit here and will be used to critically look into the cultural reflections and/or deflections of the Maqāmāt works.

First Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Beatrice Gründler

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