Ibn Khaldun and Critical Inquiry: A Response to Christian Fuchs

Abstract

Introducing Khaldun's economic thought Joseph Spengler has argued that what he has to say is important not so much because . . . he came in time to be looked upon as one who had anticipated a variety of "modern" notions. It is important rather because had a deep insight into. . . the culture of his day. (Spengler, 1964: 269) This suggests two contrasted approaches to re-reading Khaldun under present conditions. The first closes the gap between his time and ours, demonstrating that he anticipated key concepts which remain relevant and central to contemporary analysis. This is the approach Christian Fuchs takes in the present issue as he teases out the continuities between Khaldun and Marx and applies them to communication under digital capitalism.Khaldun has been nominated variously as the founder of sociology, a pioneering economist and the first modern historian. Christian Fuchs introduces him to readers in critical theory and communication studies who might not otherwise be aware of him and his importance in the history of social thought.He sets out to claim Khaldun for critical political economy and demonstrate his relevance to the critical analysis of communication. Khaldun certainly meets the basic criteria that distinguish work in political economy from economics as it has come to be institutionalised in the modern academy. He refuses to define 'the economy' as a bounded domain and insists on locating economic relations within a general analysis of social formations. He pays particular attention to the interplay between markets and states, private enterprise, and collective life, and most importantly of all, he grounds his evaluations in moral philosophy and questions of justice.Fuchs' reading is rich, provocative and welcome but I have two reservations. First, as he explains, his exposition is based on searching for passages in Khaldun's best known work, the Muqaddimah, directly relevant 'for understanding communication in capitalism and class societies and ideology'.This selective reading succeeds in locating quotations that anticipate Marx but overlooks material that positions Khaldun as a precursor of the alternative, liberal tradition developed by Adam

Critical Sociology of Media and Communication: Connecting a Disconnected Field

“…The special issue also features a debate (article, reply and rejoinder) between Christian Fuchs (2024a, 2024b) and Graham Murdock (2024) about Ibn Khaldûn and his relevance to the political economy of media and communication. Ibn Khaldûn was an Arab philosopher, historian and sociologist of the Middle Ages (1332-1406).…”