Slavery, Islam and diaspora

Abstract

Slavery, Islam and Diaspora explores slavery in the context of the Muslim world through a study of the African Diaspora. The volume identifies the enslaved population as a distinct social stratum in Islamic societies and reflects on the ways Islam has been used to justify enslavement, liberate slaves, and defend the autonomy of communities. Local perceptions of Islam are shown to have strongly influenced the way people understood slavery. A cast of talented scholars provides a rich and remarkable volume on the crucial linkages between Islam and slavery in different spaces and places, as well as historical eras, doing so to enrich our understanding of slavery and identity, religion and religious memory, historical commemoration, and the complicated contours of resistance and fiercely nationalistic values.