History 391MW - S-Hist of Slavery/Muslim World

This course explores the concept and practice of slavery in the Muslim World from the time of the Prophet Mohammed up to the 20th century. We will begin by examining how the Qur'an and Islamic jurisprudence altered pre-Islamic forms of slavery. The course will proceed chronologically, exploring the evolution of slavery through the early Islamic empires, the slave dynasties in Egypt and Delhi, the "gunpowder" empires of the Early Modern era, and the abolition of slavery in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the themes that we will discuss are manumission, rebellion, notions of property and labor in Islam, the role of slaves as concubines, soldiers and rulers, and the slave trades in the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Sahara. The course will compare Islamic forms of slavery to those that existe d in Africa and the New World. You will also engage with the incredible diversity of slavery in the Muslim World and will be pushed to think about whether we can sustain a concept of Islamic slavery despite these differences.

Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only.