Brian Catlos (Colorado), "Islam and Muslims in Medieval Europe"
Professor Brian A. Catlos will present "Islam and Muslims in Medieval Europe". Brian A. Catlos is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and Research Associate in Humanities at the UC Santa Cruz. He specializes on Muslim-Christian-Jewish relations and ethno-religious identity in the pre-modern Mediterranean. He is the author of numerous articles and four monographs, the latest being Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain (Basic, 2018). Below is the abstract for his talk:
"From the mid-eleventh century onwards there were significant Muslim minorities in the lands of Latin Christendom, both in the Mediterranean and central and eastern Europe. Living as a people apart, but impressively integrated in Christian-dominated society, these communities made important contributions to the shaping of European society and culture. But their experiences varied considerably. Some were “liberated” by conquest, while others were eventually exiled, expelled, or forced to convert, while a few persisted into the modern era. While religious identity defined their status in Christian society it did not necessarily shape their experience, which varied considerably over time and place. On the whole, they were a group who were regarded as legitimate members of Christian lands, and whose loyalty and value was broadly acknowledged. Their history shows that Muslims have historically had a place in Christian societies, and that they too are members of “Western” society."
