Ibn Khaldun: A sociology of history

Abstract

Alatas’s two books reviewed in this essay offer a new reading of an important sociologist by shedding an important contextual light on Ibn Khaldun’s works. They interpret and analyze Ibn Khaldun’s philosophy of history, social theory, and sociological doctrines, not only by stressing their modern relevance, but also by demonstrating how they could be employed to forge a new reading of the social sciences. Thus, Alatas’s methodology applies Ibn Khaldun’s seemingly dated theories and concepts to modern sociological and historical thought, while avoiding anachronisms in either interpretation or meaning. This essay is organized thematically, and the first section explores Ibn Khadun’s key classical concepts of ‘asabiyya, nomadic, and sedentary from a social science perspective. The second section elaborates on how Weber’s three ideal types of authority (charismatic, traditional, rational-legal) could be applied to Ibn Khaldun’s reading of Muslim society in his own time and afterwards, and Alatas includes the Weberian distinction between functional and value rationality. The third section applies the classical distinction between authority and power to caliphate authority and kingship. The fourth and fifth sections of this essay deal with soft power and culture as well as Ibn Khaldun’s social history. Thus, Alatas’s two books could be considered rich reference books rather than critical evaluations of Ibn Khaldun’s works.