Culture

Listen: Hugh Kennedy—what is the caliphate?

The historian speaks to Prospect's Arts and Books Editor Sameer Rahim

By Sameer Rahim

July 29, 2016

Two people appeal to a judge in an artwork set during the caliphate. The piece is by Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî

In 2014 Islamic State declared itself to be a caliphate. But what authority did they have? And what exactly is a caliphate? Hugh Kennedy—one of the leading historians of the Islamic world—has spent a lifetime studying the subject. He spoke to Prospect’s Arts and Books Editor Sameer Rahim about a form of government that was used in the Islamic world for centuries and which at its height ruled an empire from Spain to China.

What can a study of the caliphate tell us about the crisis of governance in Islamic countries today? Does Islamic State’s declaration have any legitimacy? Kennedy answers these questions and more in Prospect’s latest podcast.

Sameer Rahim is publisher at the Bridge Street Press. He was formerly Prospect’s managing editor and arts and books editor. His novel “Asghar and Zahra” (JM Originals) was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. He was a judge for the 2020 Booker Prize

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