Islam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

In the following article historian Omar H. Ali explores a lesser-known aspect of the global African Diaspora, the spread of African peoples and their cultures throughout the Indian Ocean basin. Africans had become a visible part of the Indian Ocean world long before the advent … Read MoreIslam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

“Yes We Can”: Barack Obama’s Road to the White House, 2008

In the following account California State University, Fresno history professor Malik Simba summarizes the 2008 presidential campaign of Illinois Senator Barack Obama.  Professor Simba reminds us of the many challenges faced by the campaign as well as the daring and innovative strategies it successfully employed … Read More“Yes We Can”: Barack Obama’s Road to the White House, 2008

African Military Slaves in the Muslim Middle East

In the following article Professor Emeritus Jere L. Bacharach, a specialist in Medieval Middle Eastern history, describes the little known saga of one of the largest groups of persons of African descent in the region, military slaves.  These enslaved men, utilized for centuries in the … Read MoreAfrican Military Slaves in the Muslim Middle East