Blurb:

Over the past few decades, traditional narratives of European history and archaeology have been called into question, and the traditional evolutionary picture of European civilisation is progressively being replaced by a more complex and nuanced approach to the past. Yet, the presence of Muslim-ruled societies in the European continent is still seen as an uncomfortable parenthesis; an interruption of ‘natural’ historical developments. The presence of Islamicate culture in Europe is often approached from a perspective that distinctly emphasises its ‘otherness’. The time is ripe for a reassessment of the role played by Islamicate societies in European history, and archaeology must assume a leading part in this process. In this introductory paper, we ask: what is the future of Islamicate archaeology in Europe, and what should our role be in shaping this?