ابن خلدون : مقاربة ابستمولوجية

Abstract EN

All over the world, the States which are separated by geography, politics, economy, culture and the distribution of resources end up united by a new expression of what is known as « the commun crisis ».The information and communications technology revolution has abolished any remaining border.

The so-called world culture appears nowadays to be a necessity and no more a mere option.

The old colonies has become actively involved in world matters.

It is then necessary, nowadays and more than in any other era, to rethink history in order to be able to face any present or future « common crisis ».

Therefore, a close epistemological scrutiny of Ibn Khaldoun's thought becomes imperative, not only when considering the Arab world alone but on the scale of whole world as well.

This famous historian indeed brought to light, through an in-depth and original analysis, the specifics of the Arab medieval civilization in its all steps : appearance, expansion and decline.

In a context where modern theories of « clash of civilizations » has failed to comprehend the post-Cold War new world order, Ibn Khaldoun's work enable us to develop a scientifical approach of the events which are occuring in both the international and the local scenes..

From this point of view, we are going to confront Ibn Khaldoun's history of civilization theory to the Samuel Huntington's.

Whereas the former pretends that conflicts and the causes of decline appear from within a civilization itself, the latter leanes on external factors and describes a conflict as a historical need for opposing great civilizations.

According to Huntington, the one which prevails in that war ends up being the world civilization.