A study of history and its course between Hegel and Toynbee from a Khaldunian perspective

Abstract

This dissertation analyses the transformations in historical theory through the lenses of Ibn Khaldun, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Arnold Toynbee, focusing on their strategies for understanding the general rise, fall and movement of civilisations in history. By situating the ideas and conceptual frameworks of these thinkers within their sociohistorical contexts, the research also provides a comparative perspective for examining the factors that determine changes in the vector of social development. Thus, Ibn Khaldun’s concept of Asabiyyah, or social solidarity, is a key factor in the forces that shape and potentially disintegrate civilisations. On the other hand, while Hegel wrote from a dialectical point of view, he was also interested in the development of reason, which seeks fulfilment in opposites and reverses, so that reason plants a wish for liberty in humanity and the World Spirit. The cyclic model that Toynbee has proposed, based on the challenge-response mechanism, also enhances the discourse by describing civilisations that were born, grew, and died due to the struggle against stresses and strains from within and without. This study makes critical points regarding the implications of linear and cyclical gravity concepts in relation to historical evolution, focusing on the convergences and divergences between these three thinkers. It emphasizes the significance of leaders, integration, and change in the rise and fall of civilisations. The dissertation similarly evaluates the appropriateness of these theoretical approaches in the modern world, especially concerning nationalism, globalisation, or political movements. On the other hand, this work explains the social forces that drive historical change, pertaining to the evolution of societies, rather than superseding the existing notions of historical interpretation. The call is to shift the focus away from the onesidedness and fragmentation of civilisational change. It argues that Khaldunism, Hegelianism, and Toynbeeism still have their purpose in contemporary studies. This dissertation presents history from a new perspective by focusing on Hegel and Toynbee through Khaldun’s point of view and analyzing their theories in a new way. This suggests that, rather than the linear evolution of social forces, an integrated approach is ideal for the evolution of civilisations.