Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1046-9561

Date of Award

8-7-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Allen Fromherz

Second Advisor

Rachel Ernst

Abstract

This work compares the works of Pliny the Elder and Ibn Khaldun and how they perceived the Imazighen (also known as Berbers) of North Africa in their own contexts. Pliny the Elder’s Roman stoic values placed great importance on agriculture and urbanized life. While he described urbanized and Romanized Imazighen favorably, his portrayal of nomadic Imazighen in North Africa in his Natural History was often critical. Ibn Khaldun also knew of the destructive potential of nomads in many instances, but he also realized that they had the ability to renew and create new dynasties. Kitab al-‘Ibar praises the health and tribal cohesion of the nomadic groups of North Africa, which in his theory of history, drive the cycle of urbanization and the rise and falls of dynasties. Both transmit underlying themes of African agency and traditional cultures that puncture through the various changes in the region.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/37443359

File Upload Confirmation

1

Share

COinS