Interpreting Sources of the African Past: Interview with Paulo Fernando de Moreas Farias

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).