"The institution of slavery was central to trade and societal development within the African Muslim world for centuries. In certain locations it is still, in fact, in practice. What are the origins of slavery in Muslim Africa, and how widespread is it? How does slavery as practiced in this region differ from Western chattel slavery?".

"These and other issues are explored in Fisher's investgation into how Africans' enslavement by Berbers, Arabs, and other Africans became institutionalized and legitimized throughout Muslim Africa. Attending to the religious, social, and economic contexts of the rise and establishment of slavery within this region, the author illuminates the complex dynamics shaping slavery from the tenth to the nineteenth century.

He explains that while free Muslims could not legally be enslaved, these laws were rarely enforced; we read of cases in which slaves developed strong ties of loyalty and affection for their owners, as well as others in which slaves were determined to break free from bondage, or perish in the attempt." "Fisher's account explains how slaves came to serve as currency, goods, eunuchs, soldiers, and in some cases as statesmen."--BOOK JACKET.