Haratin identity was forged by culture and language, not race

Evidence

Haratin were equally suspicious. They pointed out that Afro-Mauritanians had also once owned slaves, and aligned themselves with White Moor slave owners when it was convenient. After centuries of forced integration, Haratin shared a language and, to an extent, a culture with their captors, and many were reluctant to disavow their link to the privileged class. Their cultural identity had not been predominantly forged by race. As a result, their activists had seen slavery as a problem distinct from racism. But Biram saw slavery and racism as inextricable, and an alliance between the two groups as politically compelling. Together, they represented more than 70 percent of the population. — Alexis Okeowo, A Moonless, Starless Sky, 355

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies why Haratin activists long treated slavery and racism as separate problems — their identity was cultural, not racial.
• XREF: Echoes the theme of unity in struggle across the book’s four distinct narratives, drawn from paragraph 354 context. — connects to: Mauritania ethnic-cleansed Afro-Mauritanians using Haratin soldiers — Alexis Okeowo, A Moonless, Starless Sky, 354; Haratin and Afro-Mauritanians together form over 70 percent of Mauritania’s population — Alexis Okeowo, A Moonless, Starless Sky, 355; The category of the Negro was fabricated in the West, not Africa (+4 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Alexis Okeowo, A Moonless, Starless Sky, 355

Broader Connections

• Racialization can proceed from cultural traits without any phenotypic difference #corroborates (0.70) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 88
• Cultural traits like language, clothing, and religious practice can racialize a group. #qualifies (0.60)
• Shared language and culture do not constitute belonging to a nation. #complicates (0.50)