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'Conversion' to Islam in Early Medieval Europe: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives on Arab and Northern Eurasian Interactions
Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Centre for Medieval Studies. Durham University, UK.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7752-6137
Number of Authors: 22021 (English)In: Religions, E-ISSN 2077-1444, Vol. 12, no 7, article id 544Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In recent years, the influence of Muslims and Islam on developments in medieval Europe has captured the attention of scholars and the general public alike. Nevertheless, 'conversion' to Islam remains a challenging subject for historical research and demands more transdisciplinary collaborations. This article examines early medieval interactions between Muslim Arabs and Northern and Eastern Europeans as a case study for whether some individuals in Northern Eurasia 'converted' to Islam. More importantly, we address some key examples and lines of evidence that demonstrate why the process of 'conversion' to Islam is not more visible in the historical and archaeological records of Northern Eurasia. We find that, despite the well-established evidence for economic exchanges between the Islamic World and Northern Eurasia, the historical and material records are much more complex, but not entirely silent, on the issue of religious change. We also conclude that religious connectivity and exchanges, including with Islam, were common in early medieval Northern Eurasia, even if it is difficult in most cases to identify conclusive instances of 'conversion' to Islam.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2021. Vol. 12, no 7, article id 544
Keywords [en]
religious conversion, Caliphate, Ibn Fadlan, Vikings, Rus', medieval Eurasia, early medieval, material culture of religion, Islamic archaeology
National Category
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-197358DOI: 10.3390/rel12070544ISI: 000677026500001OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-197358DiVA, id: diva2:1599159
Available from: 2021-09-30 Created: 2021-09-30 Last updated: 2024-07-04Bibliographically approved

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Ellis, Caitlin

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