Territorialization of Shia and Salafi Cultural Movements in West Africa

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics, Center for African Studies, Tarbiat Modares University

2 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Tarbiat Modares University

Abstract

The West African region, as the largest Muslim-populated region of the African continent, can play a significant role in the developments of the Muslim world. In this context, the West African region has become a new arena of competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran in cultural fields, and the cultural movements in both countries have long focused on this part of the Black Continent. Focusing on the vitality of ideological representations in West Africa, this research tries to provide an analysis of the role of the West African region in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. From this perspective, the typology of Boko Haram's performance as one of the most active terrorist groups in the West African region, which claims to establish an Islamic caliphate with the spiritual and material support of Saudi Arabia, has important strains for a cultural movements study. Applying a descriptive-analytical post-event method, this study evaluates the data based on process analysis. This research examines the effects the territorialism of Iran and Saudi Arabia has had on the Islamist movements in the West African region and evaluates the hypothesis that Iran and Saudi Arabia, using the aligned forces in West Africa, have formed a new region for Intellectual competitions. The findings of the research also show that the competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia in West Africa has significant similarities with the same competition in West Asia. Despite some undeniable achievements of Iran's soft power and cultural diplomacy in West Africa, relying on rich oil revenues, Saudi Arabia has so far managed to have the upper hand in this competition.

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Scientific Biannual Journal of Language and Culture of Nations
Volume 4, Issue 8
January 2022
Pages 71-90

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