“Islamophobia” and Abject Authenticity in the Afterlife of Chattel Slavery

• In Event: 1284 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 19. Race/Ethnicity and Religion

Abstract

Slavery built the Americas and formed the foundation for anti-black racism today. Estimates hold that Muslims constituted 15-30% of slaves in what is now the US (Diouf 1998). This paper raises the question: what is the afterlife of this Muslimness in the story of American chattel slavery? This paper draws on one year of ethnographic research on a racially diverse range of Muslims and discusses how chattel slavery appears in the narratives and experiences of black and brown Muslims. I discuss what it means for each group, and how these narratives compare to narratives about “Islamophobia” as a way to conceptualize Muslims’ struggles today. I argue that Islamophobia and chattel slavery facilitate the making of authenticity claims and potentially unusual solidarities.

Author

• Atiya Husain, University of Richmond