Daniel Pipes’s revealing errors about the slave warriors of Islam. (Revised version of paper presented to Melbourne University Medieval Roundtable in May 2025.)
I love all your medieval history work, but I really do think this is my absolute favourite of your papers. I find your analysis of kin-groups compelling, as someone who does comparative legal history, including in Asia.
"Christianity has a long history of being antipathetic to kin-groups. Even today, much of the appeal of Pentecostalism in Africa is that its congregations provide both refuge from the demands of kin-groups and an alternative support network."
This comment is somewhat besides the point of this paper, so apologies in advance. I sometimes think that the Christian suppression of kin-groups and the subsequent decline of Christianity in the West has led to a generalized form of alienation. Much of the social work of the state is a very poor substitute for the work of churches. A church can give one a sense of identity and purpose within a larger community as well as material support. The state can give only material support.
I suspect the suppression of kin-groups worked only so far as the Church was able to replace the identity formation of kin-groups with the larger, universal identity of Christianity along with the obligations and duties pertaining to such.
I would say that the issue was the congregation, which provided a local network connecting people. There is also just more connections when so much of what people did was within walking distance.
I love all your medieval history work, but I really do think this is my absolute favourite of your papers. I find your analysis of kin-groups compelling, as someone who does comparative legal history, including in Asia.
Thanks muchly!
Very interesting article. The topic of warrior slaves is fascinating.
Typo in Locke’s DOB: “and Locke (1732-1704)”
Well-spotted and ta.
"Christianity has a long history of being antipathetic to kin-groups. Even today, much of the appeal of Pentecostalism in Africa is that its congregations provide both refuge from the demands of kin-groups and an alternative support network."
This comment is somewhat besides the point of this paper, so apologies in advance. I sometimes think that the Christian suppression of kin-groups and the subsequent decline of Christianity in the West has led to a generalized form of alienation. Much of the social work of the state is a very poor substitute for the work of churches. A church can give one a sense of identity and purpose within a larger community as well as material support. The state can give only material support.
I suspect the suppression of kin-groups worked only so far as the Church was able to replace the identity formation of kin-groups with the larger, universal identity of Christianity along with the obligations and duties pertaining to such.
I would say that the issue was the congregation, which provided a local network connecting people. There is also just more connections when so much of what people did was within walking distance.