Medieval Arabic Historiography: Authors as Actors

Abstract

A study of post-classical Arabic historiography, focusing on two major Crusader-period chronicles written in Syria and Egypt. It investigates the authors’ room to manoeuvre – ‘agency’ – in composing their works by considering the interplay between social context, intellectual tradition and narrative structure. The book contributes to the vivid debate on Islamic historiography and aims at bridging the conceptual gap that separates this debate from the study of medieval European historical writing.