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European history is punctuated with hundreds of years of Islamic contact that positively influenced science, literature, mathematics and language. Yet, these histories are often hidden, bypassed or ignored. Europe’s Christian heritage evolved, apparently uninterrupted, from a Greek, Roman and/or Celtic past. We will explore Europe’s historic contact with Islam and the role that medieval Muslims played in preserving, translating and disseminating European culture. Recent Muslim migrants to Europe are frequently viewed as ‘outsiders’ or ‘others’ that threaten European culture. Regardless of their traditions, religious practices or countries of origin, these ‘Muslims’ are often treated as a homogeneous group determined and defined by their religion. We will explore the historic processes that eroticised and orientalised Islam in Europe and contemporary political, media and academic texts that continue to reinforce the idea that Muslims are a unified threat to European culture. We will ask one question throughout this module: should we speak about Muslims in Europe, or should it be Muslims of Europe?
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SPECIAL TOPICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY 1
