PolyToday: History Teacher Dr. Sam Anderson Becomes Published Author

The Poly community recently celebrated a major achievement by Upper School History teacher Dr. Sam Anderson, whose new book, The French Médersa: Islamic Education and Empire in Northwest Africa, was published by Cornell University Press. According to the publisher, the book examines how the French colonial state developed a long-running project of bicultural Franco-Muslim education across its northwest African colonies. The study focuses on the creation of the médersa, a unique educational institution that blended French and Islamic curricula, and explores its broader implications for colonial governance, religion, and cultural identity.