NISIS Conference in collaboration with the Catholic University of Leuven | 26 March ’26

“Islamophobia and the Muslim question: historical questions, contemporary representations”

In contemporary public debates, Islam is often associated with issues such as violence, women’s oppression or antisemitism. One can, of course, criticise such stereotypes as failing to do justice to the depth and diversity of Islam. Yet, from an academic point of view, a more interesting question may be where these ideas originate and why they continue to manifest themselves in today’s societies. This conference, organised by the Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies (NISIS) in collaboration with and at the Catholic University of Leuven, seeks to explore this question by bringing together a number of scholars and experts on this issue.

The lectures and discussions of this conference will focus on the historical, political and societal factors that have shaped representations of Islam and the development of Islamophobia, and on how these factors have contributed to the images of Islam in Western countries. What historical events have shaped Western images of Islam and how representative were these for Muslim-Christian relations at the time? How have such images trickled down to modern-day views on Islam? What groups engage in Islamophobia and what international and national factors account for this?

The programme consists of four lectures delivered by experts in their fields, each addressing various questions relevant to this subject—including those mentioned above— by concentrating on different stages of Muslim-Christian relations and how and why these have contributed to image formation of Islam and Islamophobia. The day will conclude with a panel discussion in which three experts will examine key issues surrounding the construction of the image of Islam and Islamophobia.

This event is fully booked. You can’t register anymore.

Speakers

• Dr James Wilson (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
• Prof. Gerard Wiegers (University of Amsterdam)
• Prof. Carool Kersten (Catholic University of Leuven)
• Dr Margreet van Es (Utrecht University)

Discussion panel – led by Dr Nadia Fadil

• Prof. Islam Dayeh (Ghent University)
• Dr Margreet van Es (Utrecht University)
• Dr Martijn de Koning (Radboud University, Nijmegen)

Programme
11:00-11:15: Doors Open and coffee/ tea (7th floor)
11:15-11:30: Welcome
11:30-12:15: James Wilson. Title lecture: ‘Franks,  Muslims and a Frankish-Muslim? Dealing with “identity” in the crusading era’
(30 minutes lecture + 15 minutes for questions)
12:15-13:00: Gerard Wiegers. Title lecture: ‘Reconquista to Reconquête: Islamophobic discourses and images between Medieval Spain and the present’ 
(30 minutes lecture + 15 minutes for questions)
13:00-14:00: Lunch Break
14:00-14:45: Carool Kersten. Title lecture: ‘Islam, Muslims & Europe: Literary Imaginations’  This lecture is also scheduled for the Gino Schallenbergh Lecture 2026 (LCSICS – KU Leuven).
(30 minutes lecture + 15 minutes for questions)
14:45-15:45: Margreet van Es. Title lecture: ‘Islamophobia in past and present: The constellation as an analytic tool for the critical study of racism against Muslims’ 
15.45-16.00: Break
16:00-17:00: Panel Discussion (by Martijn de Koning, Islam Dayeh and Margreet van Es + questions from the audience)
17:00-17:15: Closing