Al-Nadïm thus held up proper marriage within Islam as an ideal and, with Bakhïta's incapacity to even imagine herself as an active part of this ideal, demonstrates one sad consequence of long years of servitude. In reveal- ing a woman stunted by her "education," he contradicts the traditional asser- tion that slavery had taught the Sudanese how to be civilized.

Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Coloni…, loc. 689