1.1 PROFILE: Ibn Khaldun: The Father of the Social Sciences

Global Africa ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 7-16
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
The Social

The Possibilities of New Perspectives for Social Sciences: An Analysis Based on Ibn Khaldun's Theory of Umrân

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 408-433
Author(s):  
Faruk Yaslıçimen ◽  
Lütfi Sunar
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
The West ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Islamic Thought ◽  
Comprehensive Manner

AbstractThe major obstacle in reinterpreting and reconstructing the cultural accumulation of the Civilisation of Islam is not only the unawareness of Muslim scholars of their heritage, but also their willingness to employ western perspectives to utilise this heritage. In order to overcome this tragedy, social sciences should be criticised through vivid and constructive analyses; and Islamic scientific tradition should be reinterpreted in a comprehensive manner. Instead of basic model transfers from the west, the original sources should be re-analysed. Ibn Khaldun and his Muqaddimah present an invaluable opportunity in that respect. However, modern scholarship contextualises Ibn Khaldun in anachronic ways, which in turn preclude the possibility of reproducing new scientific traditions. Indeed, Ibn Khaldun's conception of science rises on three pillars, complementing one another that are a comprehensive perception of universe, a historical consciousness, and a metaphysics of society. These three factors are interrelatedly systematised in the 'ilm al-umrân whose main theme of reference is tawhid in the traditional Islamic thought. Different stages of knowledge overlap in the epistemology of The Muqaddimah. The basic principles of Islamic thought are systematised in the framework of Qur'anic ontological presumptions. Hence, the principles of common origin of the existence, tawhid, and the hierarchical absolution of Allah were continued. Therefore, this article will offer the Umrân (scienza nouva) of Ibn Khaldun as an opportunity to release the social sciences from its ontological dilemmas.

Ibn Khaldun, ‘Abd al-Rahman (1332–1406)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Issawi ◽  
Oliver Leaman
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Philosophical Work ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
Ibn Rushd ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of

Ibn Khaldun’s work on the philosophy of history is a landmark of social thought. Many historians – Greek, Roman, Muslim and other – had written valuable historiography, but here we have brilliant reflections on the meaning, pattern and laws of history and society, as well as profound insights into the nature of social processes and the interconnections between phenomena in such diverse fields as politics, economics, sociology and education. By any reckoning, Ibn Khaldun was the outstanding figure in the social sciences between Aristotle and Machiavelli, and one of the greatest philosophers of history of all time. His most important philosophical work is the Muqaddima, the introduction to a much longer history of the Arabs and Berbers. In this work, Ibn Khaldun clearly defines a science of culture and expounds on the nature of human society and on political and social cycles. Different social groups, nomads, townspeople and traders, interact with and affect one another in a continuous pattern. Religion played an important part in Ibn Khaldun’s conception of the state, and he followed al-Ghazali rather than Ibn Rushd as a surer guide to the truth.

Decolonization and Social Science Research: The Case of Tunisia

1973 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abelkader Zghal ◽  
Hachmi Karoui
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Founding Father ◽  
Intellectual Activity ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
Founding Fathers ◽  
Colonial Expansion ◽  
European Culture ◽  
The Social

The historic appearance of the social sciences as an intellectual activity seeking to be scientific is directly tied to the birth and development of industrialization in Europe and in other areas taken over by Europeans, notably North America. If one opens a treatise on sociology, for example, one sees that all the founding fathers of the discipline are men of European culture. It is true that in the last few years Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) had often been cited as one of the forerunners of scientific thought, but he is a forerunner, and not a founding father like Conte, Durkheim, Marx, etc. The principal preoccupations of these figures were obviously those of their society, which at that time was going through a phase of upheavels connected with industrialization. But with the colonial expansion, which is one of the principle concequences of that industrialization, the curiousity of European scholars in social sciences overflowed the limits of their own society; thus was born ethnography, ethnology, and later, anthropology.

scholarly journals Editorial Note

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. v-vi
Author(s):  
Mushtaqur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
The Other ◽  
Editorial Note ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
The Social ◽  
Islamic Thought

The complex and bewildering variety of issues and problems facing thepresent-day Muslims have made them singularly hard pressed to develop rationalstrategies and efficient policies. The intensity and multiplicity of demandshave increased to such an extent that in recent years efforts to Islamizeknowledge or recreate a Muslim way of life needs congruent thinking andprudent planning.In thinking about this question, at least two issues of adaptability and sustainabilitytake the front stage. Adaptability would mean that Islamic socialsciences and cultural habits should be sought out and adopted. This way wouldnot be an imposition of alien models or values, but a reversion to the Qur'anand Sunnah for knowledge and guidance. Once adopted, either from traditionalor modem Islamized social science, it ought to be maintained againstall odds.The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences has been trying for thelast four years to initiate such changes in the social and individual behavior,and Islamize the knowledge with the assistance of the International Instituteof Islamic Thought and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. Mypredecesssor, Sulayman Nyang, left such a strong record of service that wouldbe difficult for anyone to meet. I was conscious of this challenge when I wasasked and accepted to succeed him. I knew of course that I could always counton his support to maintain the Journal at the same standard, if not higher.This issue has three sections. Section one includes two papers on mattersconcerning the Islamic Thought. The first paper by Ahmad Zaki Hammadpresents Ghazali's approach to usul-al-Jiqh, divided into three elements: (i)ahkam, (ii) adilla (source), and (iii) mujtahid.. . .Of these three, the paperprovides broader explanation only of ahkams, leaving the other two for subsequentpresentations. The second paper by Bogdan Meckowski compares IbnKhaldun with Adam Smith, and other modern economists, giving Ibn Khaldunthe prominent place he deserves. With remarkable skill, Mieckowski establishesthat Ibn Khaldun favored laissez-faire, and opposed a socialized or monopolisticproduction. Accordq to Mieckowski, most modern economists borrow heavilyfrom Ibn Khaldun without acknowledging or crediting him in their works ...

Ibn Khaldun: A sociology of history

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-188
Author(s):  
Joseph Alagha
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social History ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Social ◽  
Value Rationality

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.

scholarly journals Influence of historical & social events on knowledge & knowledge production: A focus on some selected social theorists

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Abdullahi Muhammad Maigari ◽  
Ibrahim Arafat
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Historical Event ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
Narrative Style ◽  
Secondary Literature ◽  
Social Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between knowledge produced by social theorists and the social events that occurred before and during their lifetime. The aim of the paper is to identify the social events and how they shaped the thoughts and knowledge produced by the selected theorists. This was approached through a review of secondary literature and narrative style to analyse the sourced materials. The paper examined three social theorists, philosophers or thinkers: Ibn Khaldun, Hegel and Comte. The study found that the knowledge produced by these theorists have traversed beyond disciplines classified as social sciences. It shows that the knowledge produced is intertwined with what happened before and during the time they lived which is reflected in their intellectual works. The paper submits that knowledge cannot be separated from the social reality of its producer. Therefore, the paper concludes that social theorists examined thought and wrote based on the social realities they encountered. Keywords: Historical event, influence, social theorists, knowledge production.

What Can We Learn From Factorial Surveys About Human Behavior?

Methodology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Petzold ◽  
Tobias Wolbring
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Intended Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
High Level

Abstract. Factorial survey experiments are increasingly used in the social sciences to investigate behavioral intentions. The measurement of self-reported behavioral intentions with factorial survey experiments frequently assumes that the determinants of intended behavior affect actual behavior in a similar way. We critically investigate this fundamental assumption using the misdirected email technique. Student participants of a survey were randomly assigned to a field experiment or a survey experiment. The email informs the recipient about the reception of a scholarship with varying stakes (full-time vs. book) and recipient’s names (German vs. Arabic). In the survey experiment, respondents saw an image of the same email. This validation design ensured a high level of correspondence between units, settings, and treatments across both studies. Results reveal that while the frequencies of self-reported intentions and actual behavior deviate, treatments show similar relative effects. Hence, although further research on this topic is needed, this study suggests that determinants of behavior might be inferred from behavioral intentions measured with survey experiments.

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