Ibn Khaldun: An Essay in Reinterpretation

Since its publication in 1981, this book has established itself as the major new interpretation of the historical concept of Ibn Khaldun, the great figure of Arab-Islamic letters and of historical thought overall - a figure generally thought to be on a par with Thucydides, Vico, Herder and others of similar stature. The author has eschewed the ahistorical interpretations to which Ibn Khaldun has normally been subjected, both by authors who have sought unduly to modernise his thought, and by those who sought to freeze it in stereotypical models of Islamic philosophy.

Aziz Al-Azmeh is Distinguished Professor at Central European University.