Patricia Crone
Encyclopedia
Patricia Crone, Ph.D.
, (born 1945, Denmark
) is a scholar, author
, Orientalist
, and historian
of early Islam
ic history working at the Institute for Advanced Study. She established herself as a major challenger to the established narrative of the early history of Islam.
, receiving a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS) in 1973 under Bernard Lewis
. For the next three years, she served as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of London’s Warburg Institute
. In 1977, she became a University Lecturer in Islamic history and a Fellow of Jesus College
at Oxford University. Dr. Crone became Assistant University Lecturer in Islamic studies and Fellow of Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University in 1990, and has held several positions at Cambridge since then. She served as University Lecturer in Islamic studies from 1992-94, and Reader in Islamic history from 1994 until her appointment to the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
where she became Andrew W. Mellon
professor in 1997. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Social Evolution & History
.
In their book Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World
, Crone and her associate Michael Cook
, working at SOAS at the time, provided an analysis of early Islamic history by looking at the only surviving contemporary accounts of the rise of Islam, written in Armenian
, Greek
, Aramaic
and Syriac
by witnesses. They claimed that Islam, as represented by contemporary, Non-Muslim sources, was in essence a tribal rebellion against the Byzantine
and Persian empires with deep roots in Judaism
, and that Arabs and Jews
were allies in these conquering communities.
Generally while acknowledged as raising a few interesting questions and being a fresh approach its reconstruction of early Islamic history has been dismissed by some as an experiment and criticised for its "use (or abuse) of its Greek and Syriac sources" The controversial thesis of Hagarism is not widely accepted.
In her book Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam
, Crone argues that the importance of the pre-Islamic Meccan trade has been grossly exaggerated. She also suggests that while Muhammad never traveled much beyond the Hijaz, internal evidence in the Qur'an such as its description of Muhammad's polytheist opponents as olive growers, might indicate that the events surrounding the prophet took place near to the Mediterranean milieu.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, (born 1945, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) is a scholar, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, Orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
, and historian
Historiography of early Islam
The historiography of early Islam refers to the study of the early origins of Islam based on a critical analysis, evaluation, and examination of authentic primary source materials and the organization of these sources into a narative timeline....
of early Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic history working at the Institute for Advanced Study. She established herself as a major challenger to the established narrative of the early history of Islam.
Career
Patricia Crone completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, receiving a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(SOAS) in 1973 under Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis, FBA is a British-American historian, scholar in Oriental studies, and political commentator. He is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University...
. For the next three years, she served as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of London’s Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
. In 1977, she became a University Lecturer in Islamic history and a Fellow of Jesus College
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
at Oxford University. Dr. Crone became Assistant University Lecturer in Islamic studies and Fellow of Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University in 1990, and has held several positions at Cambridge since then. She served as University Lecturer in Islamic studies from 1992-94, and Reader in Islamic history from 1994 until her appointment to the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton Township, New Jersey
Also Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township....
where she became Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew William Mellon was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932.-Early life:...
professor in 1997. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Social Evolution & History
Social Evolution & History
Social Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
.
In their book Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World
Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World
Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World is a controversial, scholarly book on the early history of Islam written by the historians Patricia Crone and Michael Cook...
, Crone and her associate Michael Cook
Michael Cook (historian)
Michael Allan Cook is an English-Scottish historian and scholar of Islamic history. He has co-authored a book with Patricia Crone, notably Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World....
, working at SOAS at the time, provided an analysis of early Islamic history by looking at the only surviving contemporary accounts of the rise of Islam, written in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
and Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
by witnesses. They claimed that Islam, as represented by contemporary, Non-Muslim sources, was in essence a tribal rebellion against the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and Persian empires with deep roots in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and that Arabs and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were allies in these conquering communities.
Generally while acknowledged as raising a few interesting questions and being a fresh approach its reconstruction of early Islamic history has been dismissed by some as an experiment and criticised for its "use (or abuse) of its Greek and Syriac sources" The controversial thesis of Hagarism is not widely accepted.
- Josef Van Ess argued that "a refutation is perhaps unnecessary since the authors make no effort to prove it (the hypothesis of the book) in detail. ... Where they are only giving a new interpretation of well-known facts, this is not decisive. But where the accepted facts are consciously put upside down, their approach is disastrous."
- R. B. Searjeant informs us that "Hagarism … is not only bitterly anti-Islamic in tone, but anti-Arabian. Its superficial fancies are so ridiculous that at first one wonders if it is just a ‘leg pull’, pure ’spoof’."
- David Waines, Professor of Islamic Studies Lancaster University states: "The Crone-Cook theory has been almost universally rejected. The evidence offered by the authors is far too tentative and conjectural (and possibly contradictory) to conclude that Arab-Jewish were as intimate as they would wish them to have been."
In her book Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam
Meccan Trade And The Rise Of Islam
Meccan Trade And The Rise Of Islam is a book written by scholar and historiographer of early Islam Patricia Crone.The book provides evidence that Islam did not originate in Mecca, located in the Hejaz region of what is modern day Saudi Arabia...
, Crone argues that the importance of the pre-Islamic Meccan trade has been grossly exaggerated. She also suggests that while Muhammad never traveled much beyond the Hijaz, internal evidence in the Qur'an such as its description of Muhammad's polytheist opponents as olive growers, might indicate that the events surrounding the prophet took place near to the Mediterranean milieu.
Sole author
- Slaves on Horses : The Evolution of the Islamic Polity (1980) ISBN 0-521-52940-9
- Meccan Trade and the Rise of IslamMeccan Trade And The Rise Of IslamMeccan Trade And The Rise Of Islam is a book written by scholar and historiographer of early Islam Patricia Crone.The book provides evidence that Islam did not originate in Mecca, located in the Hejaz region of what is modern day Saudi Arabia...
(1987) ISBN 1-59333-102-9 - Roman, Provincial and Islamic Law : The Origins of the Islamic Patronate (1987 Paperback:2002) ISBN 0-521-52949-2
- Pre-Industrial Societies : Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World (2003) ISBN 1-85168-311-9
- God's Rule : Government and IslamGod's Rule : Government and IslamGod's Rule : Government and Islam Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought is a book written by scholar and historian of early Islam Patricia Crone....
. Six centuries of medieval islamic political thought (2004). Columbia University PressColumbia University PressColumbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
. ISBN 0-231-13290-5. Also ISBN 0-231-13291-3. - Medieval Islamic Political Thought (2005). Edinburgh University PressEdinburgh University PressEdinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.-History:Edinburgh University Press was founded over 50 years ago and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh in 1992...
, New Ed edition. ISBN 0-7486-2194-6 - From Arabian tribes to Islamic empire : army, state and society in the Near East c.600-850 (2008) ISBN 9780754659259
Coauthor
- with M.A. Cook, Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic WorldHagarism: The Making of the Islamic WorldHagarism: The Making of the Islamic World is a controversial, scholarly book on the early history of Islam written by the historians Patricia Crone and Michael Cook...
, (1977) ISBN 0-521-29754-0 - with Martin Hinds, God's Caliph : Religious Authority in the First Centuries of IslamGod's Caliph : Religious Authority in the First Centuries of IslamGod's Caliph : Religious Authority in the First Centuries of Islam is a book co-authored by Middle East Scholars and historiographer of early Islam Patricia Crone and Martin Hinds....
(2003; orig. 1986) ISBN 0-521-54111-5
Articles
External links
- Institute for Advanced Study: Faculty and Emeriti: Crone — homepage in Princeton.
- Book God's Rule book review
- Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam section beginning at page 231