A Study on the History of the Great Seljuk Empire (1037 CE – 1194 CE) in Light of the Cyclical Theory of Social Change of Ibn Khaldūn and Vilfredo Pareto

Abstract

The history of human society is the history of change and there are many different theories which look at change and development. This paper intends to investigate the history of the Great Seljuk Empire (1037-1194 CE), the events that led to its rise and decline in light of the cyclical theory, especially those propounded by two sociologists: Ibn Khaldūn and Vilfredo Pareto. The former is a medieval thinker while the latter a contemporary. In doing so, the paper aims to make a comparison between Ibn Khaldūn and Vilfredo Pareto. The principles of thematic content analysis are followed on the translated works of the authors to achieve the objective. The rise of the Seljuks is understood with the concept of ‘aṣabīyah in the nomadic pastoral society (‘umrān badawī) and its disappearance in the sedentary society (‘umrān ḥaḍarī). Similarly, the struggle of power within the Seljuk Empire is deconstructed with the understanding of the concepts of ‘lions’ and ‘foxes’ as propounded by Vilfredo Pareto in his explanation on the circulation of elites.