title: A personal perspective on individual and group: comparative cultural observations with a focus on Ibn Khaldun.
abstract: As the Islamic world declined in the 14th century, Ibn Khaldun wrote the Muqaddimah, a massive philosophical work in which he sought scientific grounds for a universal analysis of human beings. By seeking a global history of humanity, one that was not derived from the particular history of any one group, he was able to offer insight into the importance of group solidarity, assabiyeh. In this essay, I discuss the dynamics between autonomous individuality and group identity and offer some cultural comparisons to illustrate more general insights.
authors.affiliation: Wentworth Institute of Technology, 550 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA, katsiaficasg@wit.edu.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katsiaficas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics / Q000266:history; D006126:Group Processes; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008399:Mass Behavior; D010684:Philosophy