The Asymmetries of Globalization or the Tyranny of Reification
Journal
Hellenic Studies
Date Issued
May 6, 2008
Abstract
Ibn Khaldun's account on history has stimulated the epistemological orientation of many Muslim as well as Western scholars. In particular, we can argue that his pioneer critical study of history of the pre-Modern world (14th century) created remarkable impulses in Hegel’s and, later, Marx’s thought. Indeed, both of them have worked out a theory to explain historical development as a dynamic process. Significantly, Ibn Khaldun’s work laid down the foundations of several fields of knowledge, including sociology and economics. Despite the fact that the Islamic philosopher has not become a dominant figure inside modern academic circles, his analytical study is considered as a lucid and accurate exposition of factors contributing to the development of civilization and the causes of decline. According to Zahoor (1996), four essential points in the study and analysis of history occurred in Ibn Khaldun's critical insights:• relating events to each other through cause and effect,• drawing analogy between past and present,• taking into consideration the effect of the environment,• taking into consideration the effect of inherited and economic conditions• In fact, Ibn Khaldun’s conception can be pressed further as his four points present and schematize with precision the trends of modern globalization. It is possible, then, to discern a certain progression in our understanding of the relations, for instance, between economic conditions and the effect of the environment. Following Ibn Khaldun’s theoretical framework, it
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