From Archives to Algorithms: Uncovering Transregional Islamic Connections through the Islam West Africa Collection (IWAC)

The Islam West Africa Collection (IWAC) enhances transregional historical research, particularly in the study of Islamic networks and translocal entanglements across francophone West Africa. This open-access digital archive of over 8,800 documents from six countries fills gaps in the preservation and accessibility of post-colonial archives. Unlike well-organised European colonial archives, many West African national archives face budgetary constraints, resulting in fragmentary holdings and ineffective classification. The IWAC mitigates these challenges by digitising and organising diverse materials, in particular the rich (Islamic) print culture, providing insights into an “Islamic Francophonie”. Using optical character recognition, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence, the IWAC enables researchers to uncover patterns of interaction and exchange across national boundaries. However, it also serves as a case study for critical reflection on digital approaches to global history. This paper will address concerns about the selectivity of digitisation programmes, including their potential to reinforce archival silences and biases. It will consider how algorithmic discovery and keyword searching can lead to the neglect of non-digitised or hard-to-access materials. It will also address criticisms of “digital imperialism” and the “digital saviour complex” in the context of projects funded by Western institutions. This paper will contribute to discussions on how digital approaches impact our conceptualisation of historical connections, reflecting on the types of connections that digital methods can effectively uncover and those that may remain elusive. It will also explore how projects like the IWAC can address the challenges of the “digital divide” while avoiding the pitfalls of digital imperialism in global and transregional historical research.