Rethinking ibn Khaldun and his intellectual legacy: Myth or reality

Earlier generations of social thinkers contended that Khaldun was a founder of sociology. Sorokin, Zimmerman, and Galphin believed Khaldun to be an Historian, Statesman, Sociologist, and the “Founder of Sociology.” They noted that Khaldun described the transformation of Arabian society from badawa (rural society) to hadara (urban society), and analyzed this transition. Ibn Khaldun maintained the cyclical perspective of social change and identified an almost rhythmic repetition of rise and fall in human civilization besides analyzing multiple factors contributing to it. Ibn Khaldun's social system was based upon the fact that there are two types of social life viz. the nomadic (badawa or bedounis) and sedentary (hadara or urban dwellers).