Ibn Khaldun: Life and Times

by Allen J. Fromherz

Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406) is one of the most influential and important Muslim thinkers in history. Ibn Khaldun has inspired at least as much interest among modern scholars as his immediate contemporaries. Legions of sociologists, anthropologists and historians have studied his philosophy of history, treating the Muqaddimah as a timeless piece of philosophy. Most studies of Ibn Khaldun ignore the fascinating story his own life and times. Rejecting portrayals of Ibn Khaldun as a modern mind lost in medieval obscurity, Ibn Life and Times demonstrates how Ibn Khaldun's ideas were shaped by his historical context and personal motivations. Relying on original Arabic sources, most importantly Ibn Khaldun's unique autobiography, this is the first complete, scholarly biography of Ibn Khaldun in English. While previous studies dismissed Ibn Khaldun's autobiography as lacking in psychological depth, Ibn Life and Times challenges this view. Demonstrating the rich and complex nature of Ibn Khaldun's memoirs, Ibn Life and Times not only tells the life story of Ibn Khaldun in an accessible way, it also introduces readers to the fourteenth-century Mediterranean world. Seen in the context of a politically tumultuous and religiously contentious fourteenth century Mediterranean, Ibn Khaldun's ideas about tribalism, identity, religion and history are even more relevant to pressing, modern concerns.

Genres: Nonfiction, Islam, History, Biography

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Berke · Rating 4 out of 5]

very detailed narrative on the life of Ibn Khaldun in a very non Eurocentric perspective. The book also challenges against the modernist approach of history writing and historical methodology. However, the book covers Ibn Khaldun's life very deeply and it sometimes turns into a very detailed narrative book rather than historical analysis of the great thinker Ibn Khaldun.Nevertheless,Highly recommended !

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent review of Khaldun's life. The book briskly reviews Khaldun's fascinating life story, and it delves into Khaldun's philosophy.