14315
Advanced Seminar
WiSe 22/23: (VS) Ibn Khaldun's (d. 1406) theory of society and its reception: the world's first modern sociology or medieval Arab thought?
Florian Zemmin
Comments
iThe Arab scholar Ibn Khaldun (1331-1406) is considered by many to be the first sociologist, and is basically the only Arab thinker who made his way into general introductory works on sociology. Others consider this understanding of Ibn Khaldun to be entirely wrong: most recently, Robert Irwin (2018) characterized him as a medieval thinker, alien to contemporary thought. The various readings of Ibn Khaldun almost exclusively refer to his most famous work, the Muqaddima, which Ibn Khaldun wrote as a prologue to his Universal History. In this seminar, we begin by discussing the different, even contradictory, readings and usages of Ibn Khaldun, including their normative intentions and implications. We will then attend to Muqaddima itself, focusing on Ibn Khaldun's conception of society, politics, and the state. Engaging with the Muqaddima is a most worthwile endeavor in itself, it being a prominent Arabic contribution to intellectual history. We will, however, also use the Muqaddima as a prism to reflect upon two wider issues: one, the global politics of knowledge production today, especially the inclusion and exclusion from theoretical canons; two, the question of which characeterics are specific to modern and contemporary conceptions of society and the state. Requirements: Regular and active participation; two position papers on a common reading, to be handed in before the session. The course (and modul) will be completed with a written paper of 4500 words, to be submitted by the end of the term (March 31, 2023). close
16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Mon, 2022-10-17 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-10-24 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-10-31 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-11-07 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-11-14 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-11-21 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-11-28 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-12-05 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2022-12-12 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-01-02 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-01-09 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-01-16 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-01-23 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-01-30 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-02-06 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2023-02-13 12:00 - 14:00