Hitit Theology Journal

Abstract

It is seen that the phrase “geography is destiny” is highlighted in popular media or daily conversations at times. This phrase is often used to emphasize that living in a geography or, more limited area, a country is critical, important, or even privileged. It is not important whether this phrase attributed to Ibn KHaldun, who is considered the famous historian and founding father of sociology in Islam, really belongs to him. So it the phrase used here to emphasize a fatalistic perspective on the human-space relationship. In this study, which deals with what the thinker says about the founding, reflective or transformative effect of geography on human life and culture in the context of “climate theory”, the main principles of geography-culture and mind relations are discussed. and the process of geography as a bio-physical space as a source of cultural space is examined. The success of achieving balance and harmony between the dynamics of geography and the priorities of the mind in city-building policies is also to be discussed by using some examples.
In modern times, Islamic geography is generally named with concepts such as “Middle East”, “Central Asia”, and “Front Asia” and this usage has been adopted by the Muslim world. It is a fact that a “Eurocentrist” political-ontology has dominated language and thought in the last few centuries, when the elements of civilization and power have shifted and the center of gravity of the world has shifted to the West. Edward Said critically analyzed how this transformation was reflected in political and social scientific discourses. Said's thoughts have inspired many studies. Research on Occidentalism is a product of these studies. The marginalizing mentality behind the attempts to read the place or geography politically-theologically and to be coded by attributing a certain cultural essence to people and its reflections on the “opposite shore” is a problem that deserves to be dealt with from a theological point of view. This study includes geo-political and theo-political analyzes through the implications and references of the phrase “geography is destiny!” and aims to reveal the functions and basic principles of the strategies that people use while perceiving themselves or the other in history and today, while attributing the quality they attribute to the place-geography they live in. In this study, the following methods are used; discourse, mentality analysis and deconstruction.
Geography, as a spatial and material living environment, has a great impact on the lives of people and societies. According to the positivist and materialist point of view, the human is an object and, like all other objects, environmental factors determine it. Human mental activities are actually reflections of material interactions. Since man is an advanced machine, complex approaches must be used to explain his behaviors. There are different reasons for the interest in Ibn Khaldun in the modern period. The changing scientific paradigm in the West and the methodological search of newly formed disciplines gave priority to the factual. Ibn Khaldun may have found inspiration from the ancient world regarding the method that focuses on facts and material relations.
The saying “Geography is destiny” is attributed to Ibn Khaldun in some popular texts. Similarly, in academic publications, Ibn Khaldun's factual method is emphasized and his striking explanations in the disciplines of history, sociology and history are discussed. It is claimed that he defends a kind of strict determinism through geographical determinism. However, Ibn Khaldun distinguishes the principles of geography from the principles of history and society, and defends the idea that man is an active being that transforms as well as being an adaptable creature. He deals with changes in historical and social areas for reasons other than geographical factors.
In his theory of climates, Ibn Khaldun argues that people's physical and moral characteristics are formed by the effects of geography, and thinks that the lives of societies are shaped by the same factors. He supports his theory based on observations and concrete examples. In the historical and social field, he focuses on human factors. Accordingly, historical and social transformations occur with human factors. Asabiyyah, livelihoods, professions, traditions, politics and faith determine the behavior and life of societies.