SouthTalks: Gullah/Geechee Muslims: Identity, Memory and the Making of American History

Gullah/Geechee Muslims: Identity, Memory and the Making of American History by Muhammad Fraser-Rahim

In this SouthTalk, Dr. Muhammad Fraser-Rahim will discuss his work associated with his book Gullah Geechee Muslims in America: Exploring Islamic Identity in the African Diaspora. Through meticulous research, interviews, and documentation the book presents a unique and significant contribution to religious studies, Africana studies, and anthropology by shedding light on a previously understudied aspect of the Gullah/Geechee community and culture. Previous studies of enslaved African Muslims have claimed that Islam, as a conscious practice, vanished by the eve of the Civil War. However, Muhammad Fraser-Rahim highlights the continuity of Islamic belief and practice in the South Carolina Lowcountry. For scholars who have spent decades researching the retention of African culture among the enslaved and their descendants, this book reveals certain challenges and poses new avenues of research.

Muhammad Fraser-Rahim is an associate professor at the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He is a scholar of Islamic, African, and Middle Eastern history, with additional specialization on Muslim communities in the West.

SouthTalks is a series of events, including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions, exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. All events are free and open to the public.