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Archives and Archival Sensibilities in Medieval Arabic Historiography

When premodern Arab historians reconstructed the Islamic past, which criteria governed their use of previously-written sources? Was their worldview shaped by sectarian concerns, or did they value knowledge of all kinds for its own sake? In this talk, we will explore the wide-ranging archival mindset that shaped medieval Arabic history writing, via the rich and understudied chronicle of the Mamluk historian Ibn al-Furat. This, in turn, sheds unique light on epistemological values and intellectual culture in the premodern Islamicate world.

Oct 28, 2020 05:00 PM in London