Podcasts about hugh kennedy

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Best podcasts about hugh kennedy

Latest podcast episodes about hugh kennedy

The Fifth Court - Ireland's legal podcast
E108 The Fifth Court - Ass. Prof. Dr. Thomas Mohr (UCD) on Hugh Kennedy, former AG and law reformer

The Fifth Court - Ireland's legal podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 38:54


E108 The Fifth Court Dr Thom Mohr on Hugh Kennedy, first Attorney General of the Irish Free State and law reformer who had some radical ideas in his time. This is a most entertaining episode, including details of little known attempts by Hugh Kennedy to disrobe judges and re robe them in the Brehon Law style (or what was his interpretation of such)Thomas Mohr is a distinguished legal scholar and educator based in Ireland. He serves as a faculty member at the School of Law, University College Dublin (UCD), where he teaches jurisprudence, evidence law, and the history of public law. His research primarily focuses on legal history, and he has contributed extensively to the field through various publications. Dr. Mohr is an active member of the Irish Legal History Society, having held positions such as Honorary Secretary from 2009 to 2017 and Vice President since 2018.His cultural recommendation is a book, 'A century of courts, The Courts of Justice Act, 1924'Niamh Howlin, editor (Four Courts Press) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enjoy Your Piping! With Gary West
Episode 73 - Jigs and Bulls

Enjoy Your Piping! With Gary West

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 55:44


More pipe music from a the airts as Gary delves into his collection once more for your delectation and delight! PlaylistRory Campbell with Cotton Eyed from IntrepidJohn Wilson with Traditional Air, Hugh Kennedy and Inveran from The World's Greatest Pipers Vol 5. Greater Glasgow Police Pipe Band feat. Rachel Walker with Fraoch a Ronaigh, Thug Mi Gaol Ghut, Thug Mi Gradh and Hi Ho Leagain from Ceolry. Xavier Boderiou with Laride Gavotte from Gwrizienn Davy Spillane with Undertow from Pipedreams P/M Angus MacDonald with Susan MacLeod, Caledonian Society of London, Mrs MacPherson of Inveran and Johnnie MacDonald's Reel from The World's Greatest Pipers Vol 1 Robert Watt with Leaving Barra, Soraidh Leis an Aite, Teann a'Nall, Crossing the Minch and The Mason's Apron from Live in Uist and Barra Carlos Nunez with Jigs and Bulls from Os Amores Libres Support the show

Information Morning Fredericton from CBC Radio New Brunswick (Highlights)

Hugh Kennedy of Fredericton shares an inspiring personal story of giving a kidney to a family member.

History Extra podcast
The Abbasid caliphate: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2024 49:35


The Abbasid caliphs sat at the head of a vast Islamic empire that stretched from Tunisia to the frontiers of India, which they ruled over for several centuries. But how did they first come to power? What tools did they utilise to control such a significant swathe of land? And to what extent were they responsible for a 'Golden Age of Islam'? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Hugh Kennedy charts the rise and fall of a multicultural medieval empire and answers your top questions – on everything from the harem of the strictly structured court to the enormous amount of scholarship that flowed through the caliphate. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Abbasid History Podcast

Ep4. The City on The Tigris: Baghdad, Drinking and Water Transport Medieval Baghdad was probably home to 200,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. In this episode we look at how water functioned as the life blood of this great city, providing drink, but also transportation that supplied the city with food and connected it with trade routes in Indian Ocean and beyond. Speakers: Hugh Kennedy, Josephine van den Bent. Interviewer: Edmund Hayes. Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic at SOAS in the University of London and from 2022 he has been teaching in the History Department at University College London.  Josephine van den Bent is a researcher on the Source of Life project at Radboud University and assistant professor of Medieval History at the University of Amsterdam. This episode was produced by Edmund Hayes and Jouke Heringa. Further reading Hugh Kennedy, “The Feeding of the 500.000: Cities and Agriculture in Early Islamic Mesopotamia,” Iraq 73 (2011): 177–199. Josephine van den Bent & Peter Brown, “On Strong Vaults with Solidly Constructed Arches: Urban Waterways in the Cities of Early Islam,” Al-Masāq (2024). Josephine van den Bent, “Caliphal Involvement in Water Provision in the Cities of the Early ʿAbbāsid Period,” Journal of Abbasid Studies (2024). Edmund Hayes twitter.com/Hedhayes20 https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-hayes-490913211/ https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/EdmundHayes https://hcommons.org/members/ephayes/ Abbasid History Podcast is sponspored by IHRC Bookshop Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases online and in-store.  Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout.  Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details. https://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast  

Empire
138. The Graceful Reed: Ruling the Islamic Empire

Empire

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 43:29


Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very heart of the civilised world - al-Khayzuran had major influence and it is possible that during her lifetime, she was the most powerful woman in the world, determining politics from Morocco to Afghanistan. Some even say she assassinated one of her sons, and put a second on the throne. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Hugh Kennedy to discuss the extraordinary life of al-Khayzuran. **Empire Live** Tickets for our live show go on sale on THIS Thursday, but for members of the Empire Club tickets are available in the pre-sale as of 9am GMT TODAY! If you want to sign up to the Empire Club, simply go to https://empirepod.supportingcast.fm/ Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yeni Şafak Podcast
TAHA KILINÇ - Ramazan Takvimi - IV

Yeni Şafak Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2024 4:45


Geçen yazımda söz verdiğim üzere, meraklısı ve ilgilisi için, İslâm coğrafyasına dair bir okuma listesini takdim ediyorum. Liste elbette çok daha detaylandırılabilir, eklemeler- çıkarmalar yapılabilir. O açıdan, bahsedeceğim kitaplara, bir gazete yazısının ebatlarına sığacak şekilde hazırlanmış “başlangıç önerileri” gözüyle bakılması daha doğru olacaktır. Genel: Coğrafyanın geneline dair okumalarla başlama adına, Ira Lapidus'un “İslâm Toplumları Tarihi”yle konuya giriş yapabiliriz. Prof. Dr. Âdem Apak'ın “Siyer-i Nebî”si, bilhassa İslâm'ın doğuş yıllarına dair çok sağlam bir kaynaktır. Prof. Dr. Namık Sinan Turan imzalı “Hilafet - Erken Dönemden Osmanlı'nın Son Yüzyılına”, panoramik bir bakış sunması açısından tavsiye edilir. Oral Sander'in “Anka'nın Yükselişi ve Düşüşü” ise, özet bir Osmanlı tarihi olması bakımından dikkate değer. Ortadoğu: Ilan Pappe'nin kaleme aldığı “Filistin'de Etnik Temizlik”, bence her Müslümanın muhakkak okuması icap eden bir başyapıt. Amin Maalouf'a ait “Arapların Gözünden Haçlı Seferleri”, dünün bugüne ne kadar benzediğini göstermesi bakımdan mühim. Nikolaos Van Dam'ın “Suriye'de İktidar Mücadelesi”, dışarıdan bir bakış sunuyor. Richard P. Mitchell'in “Müslüman Kardeşler” adlı eseri, Mısır yakın tarihinin dikkatli bir panoraması. Ervand Abrahamian'ın yazdığı “Modern İran Tarihi”, Stephen Kinzer imzalı “Şah'ın Bütün Adamları” ve Arshin Adib-Moghaddam'ın editörlüğünde hazırlanan “Ayetullah Humeyni - Politik ve Entelektüel Biyografi” İran için özel tavsiyeler. Balkanlar: Türkiye Maarif Vakfı'nın yakınlarda yayınladığı “Balkanlarda Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi” adlı eser, vazgeçilmez bir başvuru kaynağı. Prof. Dr. Mustafa İsen ve Prof. Dr. Tuba Durmuş tarafından hazırlanan kitap, sadece edebiyat alanıyla sınırlı değil, Balkanlara dair özet bir siyasî çerçevenin yanında dört başı mamur bir kültür tarihi de vaat ediyor. Mark Mazover'in “Selanik”i ve Barbara Jelavich'in iki ciltlik “Balkan Tarihi” keza gözden kaçırılmaması gereken kitaplar. Mağrib-Endülüs: Prof. Dr. İsmail Ceran'ın “Fas Tarihi”, Lucette Valensi imzalı “Avrupa'da Müslümanlar” ve Matthew Carr'ın “Kan ve İman”ıyla birlikte okunmalı. Bunlara bir de Maria Rosa Menocal'in ölümsüz eseri “Dünyanın İncisi Endülüs”, Hugh Kennedy'nin “Endülüs - Müslüman İspanya ve Portekiz'in Siyasî Tarihi” ve Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özdemir'in artık klasik bir başvuru kaynağına dönüşen “Endülüs” adlı kitabı eklenirse tamamdır. Afrika: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kavas'ın “Geçmişten Günümüze Afrika” adlı kitabı, sıkı bir başlangıç için ideal. Dr. Murat Yiğit'in yakın dönemde yayınlanan “Afrika'da Askeri Darbeler ve Dış Müdahale” adlı hacimli çalışması, dikkat çekici detaylar sunuyor. Afrika deyince elbette İmam Abdullah Harun'dan vazgeçemeyiz:

H&H Group Podcast
Herd's Media and Hugh Kennedy Share Their Stories!

H&H Group Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 45:02


In this episode Glyn Lucas chats to Alastair Herd, owner of Herd's Media - a media company offering a range of media services across the Borderlands regions of Cumbria, Scottish Borders, Northumberland and further afield. Hugh Kennedy, former owner of Stair Holsteins, Ayrshire also joins the conversation. The Stair Herd established by Hugh in the 1980's when in invested in several top Holstein cow families such as the Chief Faith, Roxy and Supra.

WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg
10/17/21 When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World

WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2021 19:24


From 2005 - Hugh Kennedy, author of "When Baghdad Ruled the World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty."

This Is the Author
S6 E26: Mike O'Toole and Hugh Kennedy, David Thomson, and Brian Castner

This Is the Author

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 14:15


S6 E26: In this episode, meet co-authors Mike O'Toole and Hugh Kennedy, film critic David Thomson, and journalist Brian Castner. Whether you are a business buff looking for a jolt of inspiration, a film buff seeking behind-the-screen secrets, or a history buff questing after untold stories, you'll want to hear more about each of these author's new audiobooks. Plus, get the inside scoop on what it was like for them to record their work. The Unconventionals by Mike O'Toole and Hugh Kennedy: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/675613/the-unconventionals/ A Light in the Dark by David Thomson: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/653769/a-light-in-the-dark/ Stampede by Brian Castner: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/598588/stampede/

dark stampede o toole david thomson brian castner hugh kennedy
The Making of the Islamic World
The Imperial Caliphates

The Making of the Islamic World

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020


narrated by Chris Gratien featuring Hugh Kennedy, Joshua White, Fahad Bishara, Maryam Patton, and Jeannie Miller | The first decades of Islam were characterized by a rapid territorial expansion accompanied by conflicts over leadership following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Despite opposition from the supporters of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muawiya Ibn Abi Sufyan would become Caliph and establish a dynasty for his clan: the Banu Umayyah. The next centuries of Islamic history would be defined by the imperial Caliphates of the Umayyads and Abbasids, who controlled empires stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to India. This episode of The Making of the Islamic World focuses on the creation of these Islamic empires, their institutional legacy, and the intellectual life of the Abbasid Caliphate during its height. We conclude with the Abbasid luminary al-Jahiz and what his writings tell us about the changing social fabric of the Abbasid world during the 9th century. « Click for More »

Ottoman History Podcast
The Imperial Caliphates

Ottoman History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020


narrated by Chris Gratien featuring Hugh Kennedy, Joshua White, Fahad Bishara, Maryam Patton, and Jeannie Miller | The first decades of Islam were characterized by a rapid territorial expansion accompanied by conflicts over leadership following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Despite opposition from the supporters of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muawiya Ibn Abi Sufyan would become Caliph and establish a dynasty for his clan: the Banu Umayyah. The next centuries of Islamic history would be defined by the imperial Caliphates of the Umayyads and Abbasids, who controlled empires stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to India. This episode of The Making of the Islamic World focuses on the creation of these Islamic empires, their institutional legacy, and the intellectual life of the Abbasid Caliphate during its height. We conclude with the Abbasid luminary al-Jahiz and what his writings tell us about the changing social fabric of the Abbasid world during the 9th century. « Click for More »

Ottoman History Podcast
The Imperial Caliphates

Ottoman History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020


narrated by Chris Gratien featuring Hugh Kennedy, Joshua White, Fahad Bishara, Maryam Patton, and Jeannie Miller« Click for More »

The Early Music Show
Early Music Show Special: Al-Andalus!

The Early Music Show

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2019 30:03


AL-ANDALUS! THE TREASURES OF MOORISH SPAIN & PORTUGAL. A day of programme exploring the music and culture of Al-Andalus - the 800 year period of Muslim rule in Spain and Portugal which ended in 1492. Al-Andalus was both a beacon of learning and knowledge in the Middle Ages and a place of subordination for Christians and Jews. The music and culture which emerged from the three faiths left a unique legacy. Hannah French is joined in the studio by guests including musicologist Jonathan Shannon, Islamic art historian Sabiha al Khemir and historian Hugh Kennedy to explore the music and culture of Al-Andalus, with contributions from linguist Dr Alice Corr and food writer Claudia Roden. 1200 - Hannah French introduces us to some of sights and sounds pf Al-Andalus alongside guests Sabiha al Khemir and Hugh Kennedy. 1215 – THE MUSIC OF AL-ANDALUS Singer and performer Belinda Sykes delves into the Arabic influences on the music of the Iberian Peninsula - connections, parallels and differences between the various secular repertoires of medieval Spain. 1315 - Hannah French and guests explore how the culture of Al-Andalus has influenced modern-day Spanish and Portuguese language, architecture, food, literature and music, including contributions from linguist Dr Alice Corr (Birmingham University) and food writer Claudia Roden. 1345 - FADO, & FLAMENCO – legacy of a different sort Elizabeth Kinder delves into more contemporary Spanish and Portuguese music including fado, flamenco and fandango to find out how the music of Al-Andalus has left its mark. With contributions from Rui Nery (foremost expert on fado, based in Lisbon), Juan Pinilla (flamenco singer, based in Granada) and Anita La Maltesa (performer of fandango and flamenco dance, based in London). 1410 – Hannah French and guests ask where the Al-Andalus traditions are most alive today, in music, language, architecture and writing. 1415 - AMINA ALAOUI Amina Alaoui is a Moroccan-born exponent of the Andalus tradition, who really opened the doors for female singers to perform this repertoire. Having studied in Granada, she specialises in the gharnati (the Arabic word for Granada) style of music. Amina talks about her studies, her career and about her love of this music, and we hear some of her favourite music. 1430 - Hannah French and her studio guests return to examine some of the myths and memories of Al-Andalus amongst Muslims and Europeans today 1440 - ORCHESTRE ARABO-ANDALOUI DE FEZ This musical tradition is still very much alive in north Africa today, but much less so in Spain and Portugal. We hear from musician Mohammed Briouel, artistic director of the Morocco-based Orchestre Arabo-Andaloui de Fes, to find out what this music means to him and his peers. 1450 Hannah French and her guests sum up the afternoon with final thoughts and some delicious treats courtesy of Claudia Roden!

Abbasid History Podcast
EP001 Prof. Hugh Kennedy on general Abbasid historical studies (pilot series)

Abbasid History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2019 39:46


Originally recorded 26th March 2019 at SOAS Radio studio. Produced by Talha Ahsan. Pre-order Prof. Kennedy's translation of Al-Baladhuri's History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest and Administration of Empire on Amazon.

Talk Cocktail
Why the Isis rhetoric to restore the Caliphate is exactly like Trump wanting to Make America Great Again.

Talk Cocktail

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2016 19:01


It's hard to imagine today, but the East, what we refer to now as the Middle East, was once a pinnacle of civilization.  Like all great civilizations, it struggled with conflict between personal values and its laws, about succession and tribalism and security. It evolved a form of rule in the Islamic world that lasted for almost 1300 years..by any account a pretty good run.   Today that rule, what was once called the Caliphate, has been morphed into something far removed from it’s original meaning. As such, it has become a word that embodies the worst, not the best of civilization.  Esteemed historian Hugh Kennedy puts all of this in perspective in Caliphate: The History of an Idea My conversation with Hugh Kennedy:

Ottoman History Podcast
Caliphate: an idea throughout history

Ottoman History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2016


with Hugh Kennedyhosted by Taylan GüngörDownload the podcastFeed | iTunes | SoundcloudWhat is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? What is the history of the idea? How can we interpret and use it today? In this podcast we discuss with Prof Hugh Kennedy his forthcoming book The Caliphate (Pelican Books) and the long-term historical context to the idea of caliphate. Tracing the history from the choosing of the first caliph Abu Bakr in the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the Orthodox (Rashidun) caliphs (632-661), the Umayyads (661-750), the Abbasids (750-1258) and the use of the idea of caliphate by the Ottomans down to the emergence of another Abu Bakr as “caliph” of the IS in 2014.« Click for More »

Warburg Institute
Contemporary Image Conflicts: Violence and Iconoclasm from Charlie Hebdo to Daesh - Hugh Kennedy

Warburg Institute

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2016


Warburg Institute Contemporary Image Conflicts: Violence and Iconoclasm from Charlie Hebdo to Daesh Hugh Kennedy (SOAS) The Iconography of ISIS Workshop organised by the Warburg Institute in conjunction with the Bilderfahrzeuge Proj...

Warburg Institute
Contemporary Image Conflicts: Violence and Iconoclasm from Charlie Hebdo to Daesh - Hugh Kennedy

Warburg Institute

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2016


Warburg Institute Contemporary Image Conflicts: Violence and Iconoclasm from Charlie Hebdo to Daesh Hugh Kennedy (SOAS) The Iconography of ISIS Workshop organised by the Warburg Institute in conjunction with the Bilderfahrzeuge Proj...

A History of the World in 100 Objects
Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2010 14:08


The history of the world as told through one hundred of the objects that time has left behind. The objects are from the British Museum and tell the story of humanity over the past 2 million years. They are chosen by the museum's director, Neil MacGregor. This week he is exploring the world along and beyond the Silk Road in the 7th century AD at a time when the teachings of the prophet Muhammad were transforming the Middle East forever. Today he looks at how the Syrian capital Damascus was rapidly becoming the centre of a new Islamic empire. He tells the story through two gold coins that perfectly capture the moment - with contributions from the historian Hugh Kennedy and the anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed. Producer: Rebecca Stratford.

In Our Time
Ibn Khaldun

In Our Time

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2010 42:15


Melvyn Bragg and guests Robert Hoyland, Robert Irwin and Hugh Kennedy discuss the life and ideas of the 14th-century Arab philosopher of history Ibn Khaldun.Ibn Khaldun was a North African statesman who retreated into the desert in 1375. He emerged having written one of the most important ever studies of the workings of history.Khaldun was born in Tunis in 1332. He received a supremely good education, but at 16 lost many of his family to the Black Death. His adult life was similarly characterised by sharp turns of fortune. He built a career as a political operator in cities from Fez to Granada. But he often fared badly in court intrigues, was imprisoned and failed to prevent the murder of a fellow statesman. In 1375, he withdrew into the Sahara to work out why the Muslim world had degenerated into division and decline. Four years later, he had completed not only a history of North African politics but also, in the book's long introduction, one of the great studies of history. Drawing on both regional history and personal experience, he set out a bleak analysis of the rise and fall of dynasties. He argued that group solidarity was vital to success in power. Within five generations, though, this always decayed. Tired urban dynasties inevitably became vulnerable to overthrow by rural insurgents.Later in life, Ibn Khaldun worked as a judge in Egypt, and in 1401 he met the terrifying Mongol conqueror Tamburlaine, whose triumphs, Ibn Khaldun felt, bore out his pessimistic theories.Over the last three centuries Ibn Khaldun has been rediscovered as a profoundly prescient political scientist, philosopher of history and forerunner of sociology - one of the great thinkers of the Muslim world.Robert Hoyland is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Oxford; Robert Irwin is Senior Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

In Our Time: History
Ibn Khaldun

In Our Time: History

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2010 42:15


Melvyn Bragg and guests Robert Hoyland, Robert Irwin and Hugh Kennedy discuss the life and ideas of the 14th-century Arab philosopher of history Ibn Khaldun.Ibn Khaldun was a North African statesman who retreated into the desert in 1375. He emerged having written one of the most important ever studies of the workings of history.Khaldun was born in Tunis in 1332. He received a supremely good education, but at 16 lost many of his family to the Black Death. His adult life was similarly characterised by sharp turns of fortune. He built a career as a political operator in cities from Fez to Granada. But he often fared badly in court intrigues, was imprisoned and failed to prevent the murder of a fellow statesman. In 1375, he withdrew into the Sahara to work out why the Muslim world had degenerated into division and decline. Four years later, he had completed not only a history of North African politics but also, in the book's long introduction, one of the great studies of history. Drawing on both regional history and personal experience, he set out a bleak analysis of the rise and fall of dynasties. He argued that group solidarity was vital to success in power. Within five generations, though, this always decayed. Tired urban dynasties inevitably became vulnerable to overthrow by rural insurgents.Later in life, Ibn Khaldun worked as a judge in Egypt, and in 1401 he met the terrifying Mongol conqueror Tamburlaine, whose triumphs, Ibn Khaldun felt, bore out his pessimistic theories.Over the last three centuries Ibn Khaldun has been rediscovered as a profoundly prescient political scientist, philosopher of history and forerunner of sociology - one of the great thinkers of the Muslim world.Robert Hoyland is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Oxford; Robert Irwin is Senior Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

In Our Time: Philosophy

Melvyn Bragg and guests Robert Hoyland, Robert Irwin and Hugh Kennedy discuss the life and ideas of the 14th-century Arab philosopher of history Ibn Khaldun.Ibn Khaldun was a North African statesman who retreated into the desert in 1375. He emerged having written one of the most important ever studies of the workings of history.Khaldun was born in Tunis in 1332. He received a supremely good education, but at 16 lost many of his family to the Black Death. His adult life was similarly characterised by sharp turns of fortune. He built a career as a political operator in cities from Fez to Granada. But he often fared badly in court intrigues, was imprisoned and failed to prevent the murder of a fellow statesman. In 1375, he withdrew into the Sahara to work out why the Muslim world had degenerated into division and decline. Four years later, he had completed not only a history of North African politics but also, in the book's long introduction, one of the great studies of history. Drawing on both regional history and personal experience, he set out a bleak analysis of the rise and fall of dynasties. He argued that group solidarity was vital to success in power. Within five generations, though, this always decayed. Tired urban dynasties inevitably became vulnerable to overthrow by rural insurgents.Later in life, Ibn Khaldun worked as a judge in Egypt, and in 1401 he met the terrifying Mongol conqueror Tamburlaine, whose triumphs, Ibn Khaldun felt, bore out his pessimistic theories.Over the last three centuries Ibn Khaldun has been rediscovered as a profoundly prescient political scientist, philosopher of history and forerunner of sociology - one of the great thinkers of the Muslim world.Robert Hoyland is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Oxford; Robert Irwin is Senior Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

In Our Time
Sunni and Shia Islam

In Our Time

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2009 42:34


Melvyn Bragg and guests Amira Bennison, Robert Gleave and Hugh Kennedy discuss the split between the Sunni and the Shia. This schism came to dominate early Islam, and yet it did not spring at first from a deep theological disagreement, but rather from a dispute about who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad, and on what grounds. The supporters of the Prophet's cousin Ali argued for the hereditary principle; their opponents championed systems of selection. Ali's followers were to become the Shia; the supporters of selection were to become Sunnis.It is a story that takes us from Medina to Syria and on into Iraq, that takes in complex family loyalties, civil war and the killing at Karbala of the Prophet's grandson. Husayn has been commemorated as a martyr by the Shia ever since, and his death helped to formalise the divide as first a political and then a profoundly theological separation.Amira Bennison is Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; Robert Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

In Our Time: Religion
Sunni and Shia Islam

In Our Time: Religion

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2009 42:34


Melvyn Bragg and guests Amira Bennison, Robert Gleave and Hugh Kennedy discuss the split between the Sunni and the Shia. This schism came to dominate early Islam, and yet it did not spring at first from a deep theological disagreement, but rather from a dispute about who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad, and on what grounds. The supporters of the Prophet's cousin Ali argued for the hereditary principle; their opponents championed systems of selection. Ali's followers were to become the Shia; the supporters of selection were to become Sunnis.It is a story that takes us from Medina to Syria and on into Iraq, that takes in complex family loyalties, civil war and the killing at Karbala of the Prophet's grandson. Husayn has been commemorated as a martyr by the Shia ever since, and his death helped to formalise the divide as first a political and then a profoundly theological separation.Amira Bennison is Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; Robert Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.