Marshall Hodgson's scholarship, notably his contribution of the "Islamicate" to the study of Islamic civilization, parallels the work of other legendary world historians, notably Arnold Toynbee, Fernand Braudel and William McNeill. Hodgson's work is unique in distinguishing the religious that is, Islamic - aspects of history from the non-Muslim cultural and scientific aspects of this history as well as the roles played by non-Muslims who happened to be ruled by Muslims. Hodgson also emphasized continuities between Islamicate civilization and the wider world. In so doing, Hodgson was a precursor of much of today's global history, from his criticism of Eurocentrism to his extensive study of cultural and historical interconnections and interdependencies. This essay reintroduces a few of Hodgson's contributions and makes the case for greater scholarly attention to his work.
