St. Norbert College professor publishes new book "Holy City on the Nile: Omdurman during the Mahdiyya 1885-1898"

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From St. Norbert College, January 7, 2011
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, (920) 403-3089

Robert S. Kramer, an associate professor of history at St. Norbert College, has published "Holy City on the Nile: Omdurman during the Mahdiyya 1885-1898" (2010-Markus Wiener Publishers).

The book examines a Sudanese "holy city" at the end of the 19th century, during an era of great political and social upheaval and millennial excitement, when many Muslims were convinced that the world was coming to an end. It asks the simple question: What was it like to live day-to-day in a self-consciously "holy city" at the End of Time?
Robert Kramer extensively researched the history and politics of the Middle East, and spent several years studying in Egypt and Sudan, including the years 1986-1987, when he was a Fulbright Scholar in Khartoum, Sudan. A specialist on Islamic Africa, in 1990 he lived in Ghana for six months to conduct research on the practice of Islam in West Africa.

Kramer has been very active in the local community participating on panels, giving talks to schools, churches and civic organizations, and voicing his views on situations in Middle East that affect the United States.

He has taught history at St. Norbert College since 1989, focusing on the Middle East and Africa.