Slavery And Muslim Society In Africa

This Volume One of a series on slaves and slavery in Muslim Africa. First published in 1985, it looks at Islam and the ideology of enslavement. Slaves of African origin formed a vital thread in the living lines of economic production in the Near and Middle East and formed the cord of economic activity in Islamic Africa itself. Slaves sustained the salt pits and date palms of desert societies; they worked the spice plantations of the East African littoral - became the porters and placemen in the trans-Saharan trade; and they constituted the entourage - the veritable wealth and currency - of the notables of Islamic societies.

The African Diaspora was a consequence of the enslavement in the interior of West Africa. This work examines the conditions of slavery facing Muslims and converts to Islam both in the central Sudan and in the broader diaspora of Africans. It considers the consequences of European colonization.

First Published in 1986. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Utilizing the accounts of observers and those who participated in the institution of slavery--slavers, travellers, and slaves themselves-- and the records kept by the judicial institutions of Islam, Fisher (African history, U. of London) explores the political, religious, economic, and social forces surrounding the growth and legitimization of the institution of slavery in Muslim Africa from the 10th century to the 19th century. He explains how the institution differed in nature and harshness both geographically and across time, offering stories where slaves were relatively well treated and rose to prominent places in society, as well as stories in which slaves were treated brutally and often rebelled. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

Walking Qur'an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa