[...]ora

Lee ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> influence of African and afro-="nms">iranian people on other ="nms">iranians and on persian ="trms">society and culture

Ziba ="ppl">Khanum (d. 1932 Yazd)
the life of one enslaved African woman who lived in ="nms">iran
(recovering what can be recovered of their industrial lives)

="nms">iranian ="trms">history ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> issues of='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•race
="lsts lst1">•gender
="lsts lst1">•="trms">religion
="lsts lst1">•elite ="trms">social and economic ="trms">networks
="lsts lst1">•="trms">nature of slavery
="lsts lst1">•value of subaltern ="trms">history


="large lg2" stl="font-size:112%"> ='thdf'>the idea of (academioc study of) ="trms">history='lgc'>: study of structures, institutions, abstractions ='lgc'>==> ="trms">generalizing ="trms">categories (such as slavery, freedom, ="trms">modernization, etc.) ='lgc'>=/= (biographical turn) towards biography of one woman

='strcls'>****(biography ='lgc'>~~>) ='strcls'>*personal experience='strcls'>* ='lgc'>=/= (="trms">category of) slavery='lgc'>: an abstraction that bunches together and confuses ="trms">historical instances of displacement, isolation, dependence, unfree labor='strcls'>****
(='lgc'>--="nms">Cinderella='lgc'>='lgc'>-->)
personal experience ='lgc'>=/= displacement
personal experience ='lgc'>=/= isolation
personal experience ='lgc'>=/= dependence
personal experience ='lgc'>=/= unfree labor


19th century ="nms">iran (='lgc'>='lgc'>--> estimations='lgc'>:)
="lsts lst1">•one/two million slaves exported into persian gulf (to Bandar Abbas in ="nms">iran) from east-african/indian-ocean trade
="lsts lst1">•two-thirds of the slaves were african woman and girls, almost always destined for residence in wealthy households (as domestic servants and concubines)

1868 census conducted in ="nms">Tehran='lgc'>: 2.6='prcnt'>% of the civilian population of the city was designates as african slaves and/or “household servants”

="trms">categories of slave/servant in shii ="nms">iran='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•nokar نوکر male servantkh
="lsts lst1">•khedmatkar خدمتکار female servant
="lsts lst1">•kaniz siah کنیز سیاه female black slave/servant
="lsts lst1">•khajeh خواجه male black slave/servant
="lsts lst1">•gholam siah غلام سیاه male black slave/servant

issues of='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•race
="lsts lst1">•="trms">religion
="lsts lst1">•assimilation ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>*enslaved africans were not given (arabic) muslim names, but were assigned persian names as part of the process of assimilation into persian households='strcls'>* ='lgc'>[Dade='lgc'>: persian for nanny, nursemaid='lgc'>]


Ziba ="ppl">Khanum
she is re="trms">membered by her great-grand="trms">children as their earliest ="trms">ancestor
her descendants relate ="trms">different ="trms">stories of her o="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">rigin as part of family lore
she was purchased in Zanzibar, others sug="trms">gest Mombasa (='lgc'>='lgc'>--> as commodities slaves were classified by country of o="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">rigin='lgc'>: habashis were regarded as the most beautiful, intelligent, expensive slaves, followed by bambasis, then nubis and zanjis ='lgc'>[these term refere to the ports='lgc'>])

="trms">modern rationalization for Ziba's sexual ="trms">relationshipto Haji Muhammad ="frds scrmbld"nttrm="Alice,Shariati">Ali='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•Haji took her a concubine wuth the per="trms">mission of his wife
="lsts lst1">•because his wife was sick and could no longer serve him
="lsts lst1">•master married Ziba after his wife's death

="large lg1" stl="font-size:122%"> there were no barriers (either legal, ="trms">religious, moral) to a master taking a slave as his concubine
both ='strcls'>*slavery='strcls'>* and ='strcls'>*concubinage='strcls'>* were recognize and regulated by islamic law (shari'a)

umm-walad ام ولد mother of the son ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> slave woman کنیز impregnated by her owner, thereby bearing a ="trms">child
='lgc'>--Lee='lgc'>-> slave woman might, under these circmustances, have a strong incentive to bear a ="trms">child by her master, in order to move toward the center of her master's household, to protect herself from sale, to free her ="trms">child and herself, and to in="trms">herit part of the master's wealth (through her offspring) ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- the sexual aspects of the ="trms">relationship were considered incidental ضمنی and carried no moral stigma or ="trms">social shame ='lgc'>[='lgc'>=/= ="trms">children born to slave fathers were slaves='lgc'>]


gathering of men (were held regularly) as ="trms">social occasions for business, entertainment, smoke opium, etc.

clandestine conversations were not unusual

shari'a was ="trms">interpreted and administrated by shii clerics in Yazd, and there was always room for manipulation of the law


Ziba ="ppl">Khanum's ="trms">situation illustrates the problem of applying western legal ="trms">categories of “slave” and “free” to the lived experience of enslaved women in ="nms">iran
(her legal status as a free woman had little consequence ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- she remained dependent of the family and lived in their household)

='strcls'>***limited value of “slave ='lgc'>=/= free” ='lgc'>--Lee='lgc'>='lgc'>--> when applied to the study of muslim ="trms">world='strcls'>***
="trms">modern state ='lgc'>==> “slave ='lgc'>=/= free” (pre="trms">supposing a secular state that is able to guarantee the lives and properties of individuals who can claim its protection) ='lgc'>}='lgc'><='lgc'>-- ="trms">societies that are constructed around the ideas of='lgc'>:
="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">rights, citizenship, secular state ='lgc'>=/=
   |            |           |
kinship, belonging, ="trms">religious ="trms">authority, hierarchies of dependence (='lgc'><='lgc'>-- middle east)

19th century ="nms">iran ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> there was no ideal within the ="trms">society of freedom from ="trms">relationships (of kinship, household, belonging, ="trms">community solidarity, wealthy patron)='lgc'>--with='lgc'>='lgc'>--> implications of dependence, obedience, ="trms">obligation
="lsts lst1">•any such freedom would have left an individual ='strcls'>*isolated='strcls'>* and ='strcls'>*vulnerable='strcls'>*

='strcls'>****
all enslaved persons (and akk other persons) in 19th century ="nms">iran necessarily were ='strcls'>*embedded in muslim households='strcls'>* and moved along a continuum of whatever ="trms">situation of power, respect, wealth, independence they might be able to ='strcls'>*negotiate='strcls'>*
='at'>#="nms">Cinderella
='strcls'>****

women ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> at the margins of wealth and power ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> slave women most especailly (they moved toward the center by='lgc'>:)
="lstsrd">1. performed valuable domestic duties
="lstsrd">2. became the master's regular sexual partner
="lstsrd">3. bore the master ="trms">child

the goal of most women (slave or not) om 19th century ="nms">iran ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> to negotiate the most respected ="trms">position (within the family that they found themselves attached to) ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- ='strcls'>**the defining factor was gender, rather than slavery='strcls'>**
='lgc'>='lgc'>--> for example Ziba ="ppl">Khanum's free life after the death of her master was determined by ='strcls'>*gender='strcls'>* more than her previous ='strcls'>*slave status='strcls'>* or by ='strcls'>*perceptions of race='strcls'>*


babi movement in 1844 ="nms">iran
baha'i teachings of detachment and resignation in the face of adversity
Ghulam ="frds scrmbld"nttrm="Alice,Shariati">Ali by the end of hi life was the lar="trms">gest landowner in the vity and extremely influential in politics and business affairs ='lgc'>[he had three kaniz='lgc'>: Fezzeh (silver), Zaffaron (saffron), Shireen (sweet)='lgc'>]


="large lg3" stl="font-size:111%"> ...complete disappearance of the african diaspora in ="nms">iran (!!='qstn'>?='qstn'>?)


Lee='lgc'>: how Ziba ="ppl">Khanum's life be re="trms">presented and understood='qstn'>?
Spivak forcefully and poignantly de="trms">monstrates the appropriation of subaltern voice of the british imperia="trms"nttrm="listen,alist,ilist,llist,olist,ylist,ulist">list “civilizing ="trms">mission” by indian nationa="trms"nttrm="listen,alist,ilist,llist,olist,ylist,ulist">lists and marxist theorists in support of revolutionary ideologies ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> the absent and silent subaltern can be re="trms">presented in support of any ="trms">position at all
Spivak sug="trms">gests that a ="trms">history of subaltern people (individual or conceived as a class) cannot be ="trms">written at all ='lgc'>+ should not be attempted
='lgc'>~/=
Eve Troutt Powell ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>*the d="trms"nttrm="danger,stranger">anger of applying american abolitionist ="trms">narratives and assumptions of atlantic slavery to very ="trms">different ="trms">situations in islamic realms='strcls'>*

(Lee making Spikvak's ="trms">question ="trms">specific ='lgc'>='lgc'>-->) can Ziba ="ppl">Khanum ever speak='qstn'>? Lee's answer is no
we have no access to her thoughts or her inner life ='lgc'>--but='lgc'>='lgc'>--> that does not mean her life is without meaning or value to ="trms">history
='strcls'>*we must ="trms"nttrm="listen,alist,ilist,llist,olist,ylist,ulist">listen for the african voice in ="nms">iran even when it cannot be heard='strcls'>*

="large lg4" stl="font-size:110%"> siah siyah سیاه='lgc'>: afro-="nms">iranian ="trms">children (descendants of african woman slaves served as domestic servants and concubines) who remained in ="nms">iran, married local people, and could live normal lives as ="nms">iranians (although they might be identified as black)
='lgc'>==> ='strcls'>*some percentage of the ="nms">iranian population is of african descent (especially among the wealthy clases who could afford slaves) ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- this ="trms">heritage has never hardened into a clear ratial ="trms">category within the ="trms">society='strcls'>*

we must regard them as actors ='strcls'>*even when we cannot see their choices='strcls'>*

="display:block;white-space:nowrap;margin-bottom:-1em;overflow:hidden;">...................................

="trms">childhood Elias chap1

="large lg5" stl="font-size:136%"> ='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]="trms">childhood='lgc'>: idealized romantic construct, with denied legal ="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">rights, reflection of adults about themselves='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•nostalgia for an individual and collective ="trms">past
="lsts lst1">•
='lgc'>=/= ="trms">children vacillate between innocence ='and'>& awareness, morality ='and'>& immorality, cruelty ='and'>& kindness, foolishness ='and'>& wisdom, , , ='strcls'>**="trms">children act as sophisticated ="trms">consumers='strcls'>**
='lgc'>--Elias='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>***="trms">children make emotional, political, ="trms">consumerist choices='strcls'>***

how adults construct ="trms">childhood ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>***="trms">aesthetic ="trms">social ="trms">imagination='strcls'>***

how adults ="trms">imagine ="trms">children (in i[...]