Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn

Ibn Khaldûn has often been presented as a precursor of historical materialism: the Machiavelli or the Arab Marx of the 14th century. He is undeniably materialistic in his methodology: the origin of power is thought to stem from the need to force men to cooperate so they can reproduce their material...

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Main Author: Cédric Molino-Machetto
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: École Normale Supérieure de Lyon 2022-08-01
Series:Astérion
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/asterion/8297
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author Cédric Molino-Machetto
author_facet Cédric Molino-Machetto
author_sort Cédric Molino-Machetto
collection DOAJ
description Ibn Khaldûn has often been presented as a precursor of historical materialism: the Machiavelli or the Arab Marx of the 14th century. He is undeniably materialistic in his methodology: the origin of power is thought to stem from the need to force men to cooperate so they can reproduce their material existence. But from his anthropological study of tribal societies and state societies, he developed an original analysis of power and of its corollary: violence. Politics can be conceived of, from the work of Ibn Khaldûn (his Muqaddima in particular), as the organisation and coordination of violence. Violence is a vector of social unity, thanks to the esprit de corps in tribal societies, because it is directed outwards: the attack of enemy tribes and the defence of the community. In state societies, the weakening of the esprit de corps requires the establishment of a political authority (wazi’), which directs violence inwards to regulate natural aggressiveness. Far from being the negation of politics, violence is consubstantial with politics: it is the condition to the possibility of preserving a totality and a social unity. When a social group loses its capacity for violence, the community collapses, just like the city of Damascus ravaged by the troops of Tamerlane before the helpless eyes of the philosopher.
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spelling doaj-art-16ef8851b4754fd89da2cbdd0d982d072025-08-20T01:55:07ZfraÉcole Normale Supérieure de LyonAstérion1762-61102022-08-012610.4000/asterion.8297Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn KhaldûnCédric Molino-MachettoIbn Khaldûn has often been presented as a precursor of historical materialism: the Machiavelli or the Arab Marx of the 14th century. He is undeniably materialistic in his methodology: the origin of power is thought to stem from the need to force men to cooperate so they can reproduce their material existence. But from his anthropological study of tribal societies and state societies, he developed an original analysis of power and of its corollary: violence. Politics can be conceived of, from the work of Ibn Khaldûn (his Muqaddima in particular), as the organisation and coordination of violence. Violence is a vector of social unity, thanks to the esprit de corps in tribal societies, because it is directed outwards: the attack of enemy tribes and the defence of the community. In state societies, the weakening of the esprit de corps requires the establishment of a political authority (wazi’), which directs violence inwards to regulate natural aggressiveness. Far from being the negation of politics, violence is consubstantial with politics: it is the condition to the possibility of preserving a totality and a social unity. When a social group loses its capacity for violence, the community collapses, just like the city of Damascus ravaged by the troops of Tamerlane before the helpless eyes of the philosopher.https://journals.openedition.org/asterion/8297statepoliticsviolenceIbn KhaldûnArabic philosophytribe
spellingShingle Cédric Molino-Machetto
Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
Astérion
state
politics
violence
Ibn Khaldûn
Arabic philosophy
tribe
title Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
title_full Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
title_fullStr Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
title_full_unstemmed Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
title_short Gouverner les hommes : généalogie de la violence chez Ibn Khaldûn
title_sort gouverner les hommes genealogie de la violence chez ibn khaldun
topic state
politics
violence
Ibn Khaldûn
Arabic philosophy
tribe
url https://journals.openedition.org/asterion/8297
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