A Khaldunian Exemplar for a Historical Sociology for the South

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to raise certain problems in the study of state formation in parts of the Muslim world and elsewhere as distinctly Khaldunian problems that can be approached by applying a framework that integrates Ibn Khaldūn's theory of state formation with modern concepts in sociology. This is done by selecting a number of historical cases of state formation where a Khaldunian model has potential applicability and which may provide the empirical ground on which to develop a general Khaldunian sociology. An attempt is made to present Ibn Khaldūn's sociology as an exemplar for a sociology of the South by discussing selective applications of his theory to regions and periods outside of his own.