Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example

Although the history of slaves and slavery in the Gulf has been the focus of some research, certain aspects of this history have been lost in the dominant historical narratives. This paper focuses on an untold aspect of the local history: notable slaves. Despite the obstacles to researching this top...

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Main Author: Abdulrahman Alebrahim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa
Series:Arabian Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cy/8343
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author Abdulrahman Alebrahim
author_facet Abdulrahman Alebrahim
author_sort Abdulrahman Alebrahim
collection DOAJ
description Although the history of slaves and slavery in the Gulf has been the focus of some research, certain aspects of this history have been lost in the dominant historical narratives. This paper focuses on an untold aspect of the local history: notable slaves. Despite the obstacles to researching this topic, the paper sheds light on a gap between local and foreign sources, whereby the local historiography of enslaved populations in the region since the 19th Century has been largely neglected. Giving a brief overview of local slave communities, the paper draws on examples from Kuwait, Najd, al-Zubayr and Hayil to show how certain enslaved individuals gained significant prominence, occupying a range of important positions within these emirates and sheikhdoms. In doing so, this article sheds light on a largely untold aspect of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula’s social and political history between the 19th and 20th Centuries, which is scarcely documented, except in a marginal manner.
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spelling doaj.art-ab7b90543c0c490aabc69b47987ca1532024-02-14T09:17:45ZengCentre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de SanaaArabian Humanities2308-61221610.4000/cy.8343Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an ExampleAbdulrahman AlebrahimAlthough the history of slaves and slavery in the Gulf has been the focus of some research, certain aspects of this history have been lost in the dominant historical narratives. This paper focuses on an untold aspect of the local history: notable slaves. Despite the obstacles to researching this topic, the paper sheds light on a gap between local and foreign sources, whereby the local historiography of enslaved populations in the region since the 19th Century has been largely neglected. Giving a brief overview of local slave communities, the paper draws on examples from Kuwait, Najd, al-Zubayr and Hayil to show how certain enslaved individuals gained significant prominence, occupying a range of important positions within these emirates and sheikhdoms. In doing so, this article sheds light on a largely untold aspect of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula’s social and political history between the 19th and 20th Centuries, which is scarcely documented, except in a marginal manner.https://journals.openedition.org/cy/8343KuwaitArabiaGulfslaveryslaves
spellingShingle Abdulrahman Alebrahim
Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
Arabian Humanities
Kuwait
Arabia
Gulf
slavery
slaves
title Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
title_full Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
title_fullStr Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
title_full_unstemmed Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
title_short Glimpses of an Untold History of the Gulf: Notable Slaves as an Example
title_sort glimpses of an untold history of the gulf notable slaves as an example
topic Kuwait
Arabia
Gulf
slavery
slaves
url https://journals.openedition.org/cy/8343
work_keys_str_mv AT abdulrahmanalebrahim glimpsesofanuntoldhistoryofthegulfnotableslavesasanexample