HIST 189 Modern Egypt
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
All over Cairo there are signs proclaiming Egypt as "Umm al-Dunya" or "Mother of Civilization," reflecting a pride in the central place ancient Egypt held long ago and in the monuments built thousands of years before that have stood the tests of time, pollution and neglect. But this pride of ancient place has also played a crucial role in the development of modern Egypt. Not so long ago Egyptians did not have control of the monumentalizing of their ancient past, or its study, or its artifacts. Other belief systems also overwhelmed the importance of the antiquities, like the monotheistic religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
This course will seek to explore how Egyptian culture has dealt with its many pasts by investigating early modern and modern Egyptian history. With an emphasis on the 18th century to the present we will explore the culture of Egypt under the Ottoman Empire, slavery in Egypt, the unsuccessful French attempt to colonize Egypt and the successful British occupation of the country.
We will also investigate Egypt's complicated relationship with the Sudan, its closest neighbor to the south. One cannot study modern Egypt without examining the history of Egyptian nationalism (and its often close relationship with women's movements), and we will explore the development of this nationalism, from the end of the nineteenth century through Gamal `abd al-Nasr's movement of pan-Arabism. We will look at Egypt's wars with Israel, and its peace. Finally, we will watch films about Egypt and/or from Egypt, for glimpses into how the country and its people have been represented in the US, and how Egyptian film-makers look at their own society.
Course Syllabus (PDF)
