Session: #82

Content:

The archaeology of Islamic societies and groups has often had an awkward fit in European archaeological narratives, despite the presence of Islamic culture being a significant, sometimes dominant, factor for many European societies from the early medieval period on. Following the Session ‘Islamic Archaeology in Europe’ (EAA Annual Meeting Maastricht 2017), this session aims to engage with different approaches to the European Islamicate past and its contemporary political and heritage-related implications, while examining its relationship with European archaeology in general. We argue that Islamicate archaeology needs to be incorporated into the mainstream of European archaeological discussion, instead of being, as has often been the case, a niche sub-discipline which discusses societies that are categorically perceived as ‘other’. The session will welcome papers that discuss the theoretical implications of Islamicate archaeology, including terminological, historiographical and contemporary political considerations; case studies that examine how to imbricate the study of specific Islamicate cultural horizons in the European continent with that of non-Islamicate societies; and, case studies on specific material traces (e.g. material culture, technological practices, urbanism) in particular periods and regions, or diachronically/inter-regional, and their relationship with other strands of European archaeology. Needless to say, the session is open to contributions from all of Europe and every theoretical persuasion, as the ultimate purpose is to trigger a wider debate on the role of Islamicate archaeology within the framework of European archaeology and cultural heritage.

Session: #82

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