Brazilian scholars travel to UC Santa Cruz to workshop their papers before publication 

Professor Thiago Mota, historian of Islam in West Africa and Assistant Professor of African History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, received an invitation from the Journal of West African History to serve as an editor for a special issue. He then selected 11 scholars to contribute research and writing to this special issue on Brazilian perspectives on Islam in West Africa. From February 25th to 26th, scholars flew in from Brazil to Santa Cruz to workshop their papers together before publication. The workshop was hosted by Thiago Mota and sponsored by the Department of History, The Humanities Institute, and the Center for World History, UCSC.

In attendance were Dr. Vanicleia Silva Santos (UPenn), Dr. Raissa Brescia dos Reis (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Dr. Felipe Malacco (Fluminense Federal University, Dr. Alexsander Gebara (Fluminense Federal University), Krislayne Mota (Graduate Student, Federal University of Juiz de Fora), Rafaél Antônio Cruz (Graduate Student, University of São Paulo), and Jonas Araújo Fernandes (Graduate Student, UCSC).  Dr. Juliana Barreto Farias (University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony), Dr. Helena Wakim Moreno (State University of São Paulo), and Lucas Ribeiro (Graduate Student, Federal University of Juiz de Fora) also attended online. 

All scholars presented their research on Islam in West Africa, viewing the history of varying time periods and regions. Their research complements each other and, when put together, tells a larger story of Islam in West Africa. “Some will approach it from a religious perspective, others from a commercial point of view, but they all connect,” Mota commented. 

Professor Vanicleia Silva Santos found the conference “particularly important because it was the first time that a group of Brazilian scholars gathered at the same event to discuss Islam in West Africa across different historical periods…we had the opportunity to reflect collectively on how we can bring new contributions to the field.” 

The scholars' positionality is bound to influence how they understand their research findings and how they present them when writing is produced and published. Brazilian historiography is largely based on the social history of slavery, and it reverberates in the way historians trained in this perspective envision Africa. “This tradition encourages us to read sources critically, often 'against the grain,' and to cross-reference different types of documents in order to reconstruct the experiences of everyday people, not only those of elites,” Silva Santos said. 

The workshop was a successful and enjoyable experience for all involved. Scholars were able to get detailed feedback from other experts in the field and improve their papers, and the student interns working under Professor Mota at UCSC got valuable insight into how to workshop a research paper for publication.

“It was amazing to receive colleagues from Brazilian universities to share their knowledge with us. Being together for 2 days gave us all the opportunity to get to know each other better, have talks about achievements and future projects. Events like this are important because they offer space to exchange ideas and set the ground for future collaborations,” Professor Mota commented. 

Publication takes time, so it’s not easy to predict when the issue will be available to read for the public. But after the articles are revised based on the workshop feedback, they will be submitted for publication in the Journal of West African History in 2027.