Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-24-2014

Publication Title

Digest of Middle East Studies

Abstract

This article takes the reader on a journey into the historical writing of the ninth century Muslim historian al-Dīnawarī (d. 895) and examines the motives behind composing his al-Akhbār al-ṭiwāl. The themes and narrative arrangements of this work give insight into al-Dīnawarī's historical agenda that demonstrates his interest in royal histories that exemplify the rise and fall of nations, dynasties, and powerful rulers. Al-Dīnawarī's emphasis on specific episodes and events demonstrates that only certain ethnic groups whose political legitimacy derives from a respectable and prominent origin can bring about political and social stability. By dealing with these sociopolitical concerns, this article also sheds new light on the intellectual discourses and political crises that dominated Islamic society during the eighth and ninth centuries and the way al-Dīnawarī reacted to these challenges.

Comments

Post-print allowed by publisher after May 2016

DOI

10.1111/dome.12040

Version

Preprint

Volume

24

Issue

1

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