The Malê Nação: The Formation of an Afro-Muslim Community in Nineteenth-Century Brazil. Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This thesis traces the historical presence and significance of the Malês, African Muslims enslaved in Brazil during the nineteenth century. Drawing on Brazilian police records from Salvador da Bahia, Arabic talismans, travel accounts, and early anthropological studies, it offers a longue durée history of this Afro-Muslim community, highlighting the role of Islam in the broader context of the Black Atlantic World. The study is structured around two main chapters: “The Making of the Malê Nação: Islam, Enslavement, and Rebellion in Brazil” and “Criminalization and Exoticization of the Malê Nação.” It argues that African Muslims in nineteenth-century Brazil forged a distinct form of collective identity—known as the Malês—through religious affiliation rather than ethnic or linguistic ties, challenging prevailing classifications of African communities. By tracing the emergence of this community, with particular emphasis on the 1835 Malê Rebellion, and examining its endurance in the face of repression later in the century, the thesis demonstrates how Islam functioned both as a unifying framework for African-descended people in Brazil and as an object of interpretation, surveillance, and categorization by diplomatic, religious, and scientific observers.

Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

Chapter 1

The Making of the Malê Nação: Islam, Enslavement, and Rebellion in Brazil ........... 10

Chapter 2

Criminalization and Exoticization of the Malê Nação:

Continuing to Practice Islam in a Hostile Environment (1848–1900) ......................... 41

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................   66

Bibliography ..............................................................................................................    69

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	History
Degree	M.A.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	History, Black History, Latin American
Keyword	Black Atlantic Brazil Slavery Islam
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Thomas Rogers, Emory University
Committee Members	Maria Renee Montalvo, Emory University

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