La Révolte des esclaves en Iraq au IIIe, IXe siècle

by Alexandre Popović

The revolt of African slaves in Iraq from 869 to 883 C.E., known as the revolt of the Zanj, was one of the great rebellions of world history and the first major uprising in the history of the African diaspora. The Zanj were black slaves shipped overseas from East Africa to work in salt mines and plantations under the harshest conditions. Their fate resembled that of slaves sent across the Atlantic, and their revolt triggered racism against blacks among Arabs. Like the Spartacus revolt, it threatened a world power, in this case the Abbasid empire. The revolt also signified a unique instance of solidarity among Africans in the diaspora, when black soldiers of the Caliph deserted and joined the revolt. Popovic's book is the only full-length study in any major language on the revolt of the Zanj. Scholars of slavery, the African diaspora, and the Middle East have lauded and extensively quoted from the original French edition of Popovic's work.