This volume presents the proceedings of the 26th Conference of the Union Europeenne des Arabisants et Islamisants that took place in Basel, Switzerland, in September 2012. The theme of the volume, Arabic and Islamic Studies in Europe and Beyond, indicates that research in Arabic and Islamic Studies is not only carried out in Europe but also in many non-European regions of the world. Furthermore, it expresses that Muslim history no longer represents an exclusive field of research remote from public attention. Nevertheless, the focus of Arabic and Islamic Studies is still highly specialized, calling on researchers to devote their academic lives to learning and practicing the major (and minor) languages of Islamic history and culture. In this regard, Arabic and Islamic Studies need to find an equilibrium, again and again, between disciplinary immersion and intellectual openness. The present collection contributes to these endeavors and struggles while reflecting the highly variegated nature of research in Islamic and Arabic Studies.