Thread by @pmarca

"Asabiyyah or asabiyya (Arabic: عصبيّة) is a concept of social solidarity with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness, and a sense of shared purpose and social cohesion, originally used in the context of tribalism and clanism."

"Asabiyya is neither necessarily nomadic nor based on blood relations. In the modern period, it is generally analogous to solidarity, nationalism, or partisanship."

"The concept was familiar in the pre-Islamic era, but became popularized in Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah, in which it is described as the fundamental bond of human society and the basic motive force of history."

"Asabiyya is cyclical and related to the rise and fall of civilizations: it is strongest at the start of a civilization, declines as the civilization advances, and then another more compelling asabiyyah eventually takes its place to help establish a different civilization."

"Ibn Khaldun describes asabiyya as the bond of cohesion among humans in a group-forming community. The bond exists at any level of civilization, from nomadic society to states and empires."

"Asabiyyah is strongest in the nomadic phase, and decreases as civilization advances. As this declines, another more compelling asabiyyah may take its place; thus, civilizations rise and fall, and history describes these cycles as they play out."

"Ibn Khaldun argued that a civilization has within itself the seeds of its own downfall."

"Ruling houses tend to emerge on the peripheries of existing empires and use their much stronger asabiyya to their advantage, in order to bring about a change in leadership."

"The new rulers are at first considered 'barbarians' in comparison to the previous ones."

"As they establish themselves at the center of their empire, they become increasingly lax, less coordinated, disciplined and watchful, and more concerned with maintaining their new power and lifestyle."

"Their asabiyya dissolves into factionalism and individualism, diminishing their capacity as a political unit. Conditions are thus created wherein a new dynasty can emerge at the periphery of their control, grow strong, and effect a change in leadership, continuing the cycle."

"Asabiyya, which arises spontaneously in tribes and other small kinship groups, but which can be intensified and enlarged by a religious ideology, provides the motive force that carries ruling groups to power."

"Its inevitable weakening, due to a complex combination of psychological, sociological, economic, and political factors, heralds the decline of a dynasty or empire and prepares the way for a new one, based on a group bound by a stronger cohesive force."

"Civilizations have lifespans like individuals, and that every state will eventually fall because sedentary luxuries distract them, and eventually government begins to overtax citizens and begin injustice against property rights, and 'injustice ruins civilization'."

"Once the barbarians solidify their control over the conquered society, however, they become attracted to its more refined aspects. Then, eventually, the former barbarians will be conquered by a new set of barbarians, who will repeat the process."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asabiyyah
britannica.com/biography/Ibn-…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqaddimah
newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ibn_Khal…