Critical African Studies: Race and Islam in Africa and the Diaspora: Theories and Approaches

How and when did Islam arrive in Africa? Was the spread of Islam through conquest, slavery, or trade? In what ways has the spread of Islam impacted the relationship between the northern and southern parts of the continent? How was race made? Is it accurate to treat Islam as a race? Are all Muslims Arabs? Are all Arabs Muslims? Who were the first Muslims in America? Between Orientalist and apologetic perspectives on the legacy of slavery in Islamic history, what tools does contemporary scholarship need to develop exemplary approaches to studying race, slavery, and Islam in Africa without reproducing racist tropes?