Ibn Khaldūn: Political Thought
Edited by Gabriel Martinez-Gros
Translated by Anna Bailey Galietti
Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-1-009-32875-3
Thirty-five selections from the writings of the 14th-century thinker Ibn Khaldūn, these translated texts reveal his thoughts on history, the state, cities and more.
Excerpt:
Ibn Khaldūn was forty-three years of age when the ruler of Tlemcen, in present-day western Algeria, ordered him to embark on a diplomatic mission. He feigned acceptance, but as soon as he was outside the king’s jurisdiction, he altered his course and turned in the direction of territories controlled by certain Arab tribes, with whom he regularly negotiated the purchase of soldiers to swell the ranks of the king’s mercenary armies. The Bedouin Arabs, who knew and liked him, offered him hospitality and provisions, such that he was able to live comfortably among them for a period of several years. It was during this time that he wrote the Prolegomena, or Muqaddima, to his universal history; this text would be the foundation of Ibn Khaldūn’s enduring fame.
Who is this book for?
Designed to be a quick overview for students, this book mostly contains excerpts from Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddimah – although there are a few from his other writings as well. Commentaries are also included too, adding insights into the texts. It serves as good introduction to a range of his thoughts and opinions, particularly his view to history and how society works.
The Editor / Translator
Gabriel Martinez-Gros is Professor in the Department of History at the University of Paris Nanterre, and a leading expert on Ibn Khaldūn. Anna Bailey Galietti is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at Stanford University.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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