Muslims of Europe: Rethinking Belonging and Pluralism
Sarajevo, 9–10 October 2026
A conversation on the histories, experiences, and futures that connect Muslims and Europe.
Muslims are not newcomers to Europe but have been part of the continent’s history for more than thirteen centuries. Yet across much contemporary public discourse, Muslims are often portrayed as recent arrivals whose presence is primarily associated with post-WWII migration and whose belonging to Europe remains contested. Such perceptions obscure the long and complex history of Muslim presence on the continent.
For more than a millennium, Muslims have been part of Europe’s historical landscape—from Al-Andalus and Sicily to the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and the Volga region. Muslim communities have contributed to Europe’s intellectual life, cultural production, economic networks, and political formations, while interactions between European and Muslim societies have shaped both regions in profound ways.
At a time when questions of identity, belonging, and pluralism are once again central to European political and cultural debates, revisiting the entangled histories of Muslims and Europe is both intellectually necessary and socially urgent. This conference seeks to contribute to this expanding conversation by bringing together scholars, artists, and practitioners to explore the deep-rooted presence and diverse histories of Muslims and Islam in Europe. It aims to examine historical trajectories, contemporary experiences, and future possibilities of Muslim belonging in Europe while encouraging new narratives about what it means to be both Muslim and European.
Holding the conference in Sarajevo offers an opportunity to reflect from the vantage point of a city and region where the Muslim presence has long constituted an integral part of European history and plural social life.
We invite contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, political science, cultural studies, literature, and the arts.
Possible Themes
Historical Foundations: Muslims in Europe’s Past
- Historical roots of Islam in Europe
- Entangled histories between Europe and the Muslim world
- Old Muslim communities of Europe
- Orientalism and the construction of Muslim otherness in Europe
- Self-orientalism and Europe’s old Muslim communities
- National historiographies and the place of Muslims in European historical narratives
Contemporary Europe: Muslim Presence, Debates, and Challenges
- Migration, diaspora, and new Muslim communities
- Lived Islam in European contexts
- Muslims, citizenship, and European political orders
- Islamophobia, the politics of exclusion, violence, and genocide
- Security discourses, radicalization debates, and state policies toward Muslim communities
Narratives, Culture, and Futures of Muslim Europe
- Narratives, memory, and representation
- Arts, culture, and creative expressions
- European Islam: intellectual traditions and theological debates
- Imagining shared futures and new forms of belonging
Submission Guidelines
Please submit an abstract of 250–300 words along with a short biographical note of approximately 100 words. Include the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact details.
In addition to individual papers, we also welcome proposals for roundtables, artistic interventions, visual presentations, and other practice-based contributions.
The organisers will provide food and accommodation for up to three nights. Reasonable travel support for participants from Europe is available on a needs basis, subject to budget availability.
Important Dates
Abstract submission deadline: 7 May 2026
Notification of acceptance: 1 June 2026
Full paper submission deadline: 31 August 2026
Conference: Sarajevo, 9-10 October 2026
Submissions: Abstracts and proposals should be sent to programs@cns.ba.
