ʿasabiyya or asabiyyah (arabic: عصبيّة) is a concept of social solidarity with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness and sense of shared purpose, and social cohesion, originally in a context of "tribalism" and "clanism". it was familiar in the pre-islamic era, but became popularized in ibn khaldun's "muqaddimah" where it is described as the fundamental bond of human society and the basic motive force of history, pure only in its nomadic form. ʿasabiyya is neither necessarily nomadic nor based on blood relations; rather, it resembles philosophy of classical republicanism. in the modern period, it is generally analogous to solidarity. however, it is often negatively associated because it can sometimes suggest loyalty to one's group regardless of circumstances, or partisanship. ibn khaldun also argued that ʿasabiyya is cyclical and directly related to the rise and fall of civilizations: it is most strong at the start of a civilization, declines as the civilization advances, and then another more compelling ʿasabiyyah eventually takes its place to help establish a different civilization.