History and identity: reflections on Ibn Khaldun and Hegel

This paper analyses the relationship between History and Identity, taking as starting point some common concepts in Ibn Khaldun's and Hegel's philosophical works. In the introduction, I first explain some of the main concepts from the Philosophy of History, particularly those which are related to the question of the cause of History; secondly, I address Ibn Khaldun's reflexion on different types of civilizations and the dialectical nature of their reciprocal relationships; thirdly, I analyse Hegel's concept of History as realisation of the Spirit; lastly, I reflect on both thinkers' contribution to the understanding of the meaning of History as the battlefield of human identity.