ABSTRACT: This article examines the model developed by the brilliant 14th century Maghribi polymath ʿAbd Al-Raḥmān Ibn Khaldūn in his landmark Muqaddima that served as the analytical framework for his study of history and society. His model has continued to attract scholars even in our day but, unfortunately, many have misunderstood his language and intent, in part due to a reliance on poor translations of the original text. Such misreadings have often led to questionable research assumptions and conclusions. Applying linguistic and logic analysis, this study contends that instead of the assumption of a foundational nomadic–sedentary or desert–city duality in society attributed to him by many researchers, for Ibn Khaldūn what was key was a rural–urban geo-social dyad. The intent is to provide an alternative perspective for a more productive use of Ibn Khaldūn's insights.
Norman Cigar (Thu,) studied this question.