Ibn Khaldūn: An Essay in ReinterpretationSince its publication 1981, this book has established itself as the major new interpretation of the historical thought of this great figure of Arab-Islamic letters and of historical thought overall, a figure generally thought to be on a par with Vico, Herder, Thucydides and others of similar stature. The author has eschewed the ahistorical interpretations to which Ibn Khaldun has normally been subjected, both by authors who have sought unduly to modernise his thought, and by those who sought to freeze it in stereotypical models of Islamic thought. Starting with an interpretation of Ibn Khaldun's narration of history in the context of classical Arabic historical writing, the author's interpretation then moves on to a meticulous reconstruction of Ibn Khaldun's conception of. The author probes the employment by Ibn Khaldun of the Aristotelian conception of nature in his understanding of society, of the logical and para-logical hermeneutics he deploys in the assessment of historical reports, and of the narrative structures of Arabic historical writing with its central concept of the state. The book then goes on to sketch the content and structure of Ibn Khaldun's most celebrated work, the Muqaddima. The concluding chapter assesses Ibn Khaldun from the perspective of his age as expressed in the reception of his work. The book ends with "bibliographic orientations" for the help of the reader. |
Contents
Chapter One The Primacy of the Historical | 9 |
Chapter Two The Problematization of History | 43 |
Chapter Three The Historicity of Kitab alIbar | 129 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abbasids Abū al-fiqh Almohad analogical Arab-Islamic culture Arabs argument aṣabīya Avicenna badawa Banu beduinity Beirut Berbers Cairo caliphate chapter coherence concepts constitution contemporary context crafts custodial authority daula discourse discussion distinct divine domination dynasty elements ence entities essential accidents established existence Fatimids genealogy Hafsid historical narrative historical writing historiographic human Ibn al-Azraq Ibn Khaldun Ibn Sīnā instance integrity Islamic jurisprudence khabar Khaldūn's kingship Kitāb al-Ibar knowledge Koran logical Maghrib matter Merinid metaphysical Muqad Muqaddima mysticism nature notion organized habitation original paradigmatic passim Persians philosophy political positive sciences principles procedures prolegomenon prophecy prophetic qiyās Quraish rational sciences realism refutation relation Sakhāwī scholars science of civilization scientific seen sense sketch sovereign statement structure succession temporal textual group thematic theology tion topics tradition Tunis Umayyads urban usul al-fiqh veracity vernacular wealth Zayyanids