New volume argues Ibn Khaldun still offers tools for modern society

A new edited volume published by the University of Ljubljana argues that Ibn Khaldun’s 14th-century Muqaddimah still helps explain governance, social cohesion, economic development and political change. The book grew out of a 2025 Sharjah colloquium and connects classical Islamic thought to contemporary debates in science and public policy.

Why it matters: - The book argues that Ibn Khaldun’s ideas remain useful for analyzing modern societies, not just medieval history. - Its contributors link the Muqaddimah to present-day questions in governance, education, social cohesion, institutional stability, taxation, diversity management, and sustainable development. - The volume positions classical Islamic intellectual heritage as a live resource for policy and interdisciplinary research.

What happened: - Scholars from multiple disciplines contributed to the edited volume, "Reading Ibn Khaldun: His Heritage, Applications, and Significance for Modern Science." - The University of Ljubljana published the book in Slovenia. - The collection grew out of a two-day International Ibn Khaldun Colloquium held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in December 2025. - The colloquium was organized jointly by the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences at the University of Sharjah and the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Ljubljana.

The details: - Ibn Khaldun wrote the Muqaddimah in the 14th century as a systematic study of history and society. - The work set out criteria for separating historical fact from error and examined the rise and decline of civilizations. - The volume highlights Ibn Khaldun’s concepts of umran, or civilization, and aṣabiyyah, or social cohesion. - The contributors apply those concepts to historical and contemporary cases including Granada, Bosnia, Sahrawi society, the UAE and the United States. - The book argues that Ibn Khaldun should be seen as a contributor to the broader history of the social and human sciences, not only as a medieval Muslim historian. - Prof. Mesut Idriz of the University of Sharjah said Ibn Khaldun’s ideas still help explain how societies work today. - Prof. Idriz said the framework helps explain social bonds, cooperation, leadership, prosperity, taxation, education and social cohesion. - The chapters examine how the UAE draws on Ibn Khaldun’s ideas to discuss tolerance, social integration, institutional development and sustainable governance. - The volume also draws on broader modern applications in management, political science, sociology, history and economics. - Anja Zalta, professor of sociology of religion at the University of Ljubljana and lead editor, said Ibn Khaldun viewed society as an interconnected system rather than separate political, economic or social problems. - Zalta said successful civilizations depend on cooperation, social trust, effective institutions, education and the ability to adapt and renew. - The source material notes that several chapters focus on the UAE, but the contributors do not document specific partnerships with industry or commercial organizations. - The original source for the book is available as the book listing.

Between the lines: - The volume is part of a broader trend in scholarship that treats Ibn Khaldun as a thinker with contemporary relevance, not only as a historical figure admired by earlier scholars such as Arnold Toynbee. - The emphasis on case studies suggests a practical turn in how scholars are reading classical texts, with an eye toward public policy and institutional design. - The project also reflects a growing effort to place Islamic intellectual traditions in dialogue with modern social science on their own terms.

What's next: - The editors expect the volume to encourage more interdisciplinary and comparative study of Ibn Khaldun. - Future scholarship may focus less on comparing Ibn Khaldun with later Western thinkers and more on testing his framework in contemporary settings. - The book’s findings could interest government institutions, cultural institutions, policy bodies and organizations focused on social development. - The editors say Ibn Khaldun’s framework may continue to shape discussions of governance, education, economic development, cultural change and social integration.

The bottom line: - More than six centuries after the Muqaddimah was written, scholars are still treating Ibn Khaldun as a living source of insight into how societies rise, adapt and decline.