In a long and detailed
interview, Historian Paulo Fernando de Moraes Farias discusses major themes in
African historiography, including: the development of African Studies in Brazil
in the 1960s, the research process leading to his multi-award-winning book
'Arabic Medieval Inscriptions From the Republic of Mali', the relation between
the Chronicles of Timbuktu and tombstones' inscriptions from today's Republic
of Mali, the spread and roles of Islam in the Sahel, and methodological and
theoretical considerations on the interpretation of African sources.
Paulo Fernando de Moraes Farias
was interviewed by Benedetta Rossi on 13 July 2012 in the Danford Room of the
Centre of West African Studies (CWAS) of the University of Birmingham, where
Paulo taught until his retirement in 2003 and where he is currently Honorary
Senior Research Fellow.
Before joining CWAS, Paulo
worked in the CEAO (Federal University of Bahia), IFAN (University of Dakar)
and Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria, Nigeria).
