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khaldun tradition

The way ibn Khaldun presents his understanding& theorizing is rather unique. Hence, 1 could say there was no equivalent anywhere else in the ancient/medieval world. However, if we take a more general view we can see that he might be part of a large tradition which has parallels in various H works.

1st looking at ibn Khaldun himself he says he comes from the best of the Arab clans; hence the criticism might have been for those Arabs/Bedouins he saw as being lower.
2nd. His encounter with the islamized Mongol Timur gave him a direct understanding of the steppe people, the like of which we don’t see elsewhere.
3rd However, his historical analysis can be seen as a culmination of the world history project initiated by the Mongols, especially successors of Hulegu, including synthesis by Rashid ad Din.
4th. I think he may also be seen as strand of historical tradition/theorizing continuing from Herodotus in the ancient Greek world, which was taken up by at least 1 lost author in the Iranic world& from them by Islamic writers like Gardizi.

Indian parallels

Coming to India, ideas on the climes & their peoples (also having Iranic parallels in the karshvares) are seen in purANa-s, varAhamihira& the classical H medical tradition. Political thought is parallels by kauTilya & viShNusharman. The ethnology is seen kavi rAjashekhara’s works; the social critique is seen in kShemendra. Together, viShNusharman & kShemendra offer considerable social critique of the self. That tradition continued in pockets closer to our times in the critique of nIlakaNTha dIkShita.