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Ibn Khaldun

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Family died to the Black Death in 1349. Expelled from Granada, various other places ... Ibn Khaldun and taking place on the 600th anniversary of his death, the fa ade ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Ibn Khaldun


1
Ibn Khaldun
Abu Zayd Abdu r-Ra?man bin Mu?ammad bin Khaldun
Al-Hadrami
  • Father of Sociology, Economics, and History
    Sciences

2
Birth and Background
  • Born in Tunis in 1332
  • Questionable Arab ancestry
  • Family involvement in politics
  • Father was a scholar, not political
  • Received a substantial education memorizing the
    Quran and Hadith, learning grammar, rhetoric,
    etc.

3
Tragedy
  • Family died to the Black Death in 1349
  • Expelled from Granada, various other places
  • Wife, children died near Alexandria c. 1382

4
Where did Ibn Khaldun live?
  • Born in Tunis
  • Left Tunis in 1351 to escape from invasion
  • Lived in Fez from 1354 1362, Iberian peninsula
  • Lived in Qal'at ibn Salamah from 1375 - 1379
  • Left the Maghrib for Cairo in 1382

5
Political Intrigue
  • Public servant
  • Commonly imprisoned for rebellion, disloyalty,
    etc.
  • Varied employment
  • Instability of region
  • Restlessness
  • Ease in making enemies

6
Life in Cairo
  • Avoided politics
  • Served as a Professor and, on occasion, Qadi
  • Managed to mostly stay on good terms with Barquq,
    Mamluk ruler
  • Traveled to Damascus with Faraj in 1400

A modern statue of Ibn Khaldun stands in the
center of his native city of Tunis
7
Negotiations with Timor
  • Left behind in Damascus
  • Timur requested ibn Khaldun
  • Treated with respect
  • Wrote reports and discussed Maghrib, theories,
    etc.
  • Negotiated release of Damascene workers

REMBRANDT HARMENSZ VAN RIJN / LOUVRE / BRIDGEMAN
ART LIBRARY
8
Intellectual Pursuits of Ibn Khaldun
  • Historian, Economist, Demographer, Mathematician,
    Astronomer, Philosopher, Political Scientist,
    Jurist, Military Strategist, Nutritionist, Poet,
    and Statesman
  • Another Polymath

9
Major Written Works
  • A History The Book of Lessons and Archive of
    Early and Subsequent History, Dealing with
    Political Events Concerning Arabs, non-Arabs, and
    Berbers, and with Their Contemporary Supreme
    Rulers (Kitab al-ibar wa-diwan al-mubtada
    wa-l-khabar fi ayyam al-Arab wal-Ajam
    wal-Barbar wa-man asarahum min dhawi as-sultan
    al-akbar)
  • His Autobiography Biography of Ibn Khaldun and
    His Travel in the West and in the East (At-Tarif
    bi-Ibn Khaldun wa-rihlatuhu gharban wa-sharqan)

10
His Autobiography
  • Not consequential as a theoretical work
  • It is important as a first- hand account of
    several significant events in which he personally
    took part.
  • He is able to assess the events of his lifetime
    with the perspective of a well informed
    historical observer.

11
Muqaddimah (Introduction)
  • The Muqaddimah was written as the first of his
    seven volume history dealing primarily with the
    Islamic world, known as Kitab al-Ibar.
  • In it he explains his methodology and approach to
    history.
  • British historian Arnold J. Toynbee called the
    Muqaddimah "a philosophy of history which is
    undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that
    has ever yet been created by any mind in any time
    or place."

12
Organization of Muqaddimah
  • The nature of civilizations in general
  • Discussion of desert civilization
  • The nature of dynasties, royal authority, and
    government ranks
  • Discussion of sedentary civilizations, countries,
    and cities
  • The various aspects of crafts, gainful
    occupations, and ways of making a living
  • The acquisition and study of the sciences

13
Original Contributions
  • History viewed through the lens of social
    organization
  • Concept of generations, i.e. generational change
  • Modern conception of economics The creation of
    value through the application of labor. A direct
    precursor to the theories of Karl Marx.
  • Development of a Philosophy of History, e.g. Rise
    Fall
  • Use of demographics to analyze history

Cover sheet of a manuscript in Ibn Khalduns own
hand.
14
More Original Concepts
  • Comparative History of various societies through
    time, a forerunner to the works of historians
    such as Toynbee who have assessed the rise and
    fall of civilizations.
  • The dichotomy of rural versus urbanin
    particular desert versus town. One, where
    new kinship groups develop, as opposed to the
    other, where they eventually atrophy.

15
asabiyyah social cohesion
  • Asabiyyah is the foundation of human society and
    the basic motive force of history.
  • The solidarity (group feeling) that exists in
    tribes and other kinship groups can be
    strengthened and extended to larger societies
    with the addition of a shared religious ideology.
  • As civilizations grow and become prosperous, the
    cohesion diminishes because of social,
    psychological, economic, and political factors.
    So, societies carry the seeds of their own
    demise.
  • Creating the opportunity for new dynasties to
    emerge from the periphery of the old.

16
Kind of a big deal
  • Ibn Khaldun laid the foundation for a more modern
    way of viewing history.
  • Rather than simply compiling past historical
    recordshe insists on evaluating and comparing
    accounts for accuracy and for the likelihood
    that they were true.
  • Instead of trusting lines of transmission he
    evaluated history in light of the social,
    economic, and political forces that were at play
    at the time.
  • Huge departure from the previous method of
    translating and passing along ancient works
    unedited.

ROYAL MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY, BRUSSELS / EL
LEGADO ANDALUSI
17
Legacy
  • Not well respected in his day
  • Muqaddimah was not even fully translated until
    1860s
  • Hugely significant influence on the studies of
    history, sociology, anthropology, economics, and
    political theory in particular
  • Statue in Tunis
  • Academic centers, awards
  • Celebration in Spain

18
During the six-month exhibition commemorating Ibn
Khaldun and taking place on the 600th anniversary
of his death, the façade of Pedro Is Palace is
illuminated with projections of images that
recall the life and culture of the historians
times.
The Palace of Pedro I, Seville, Spain
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