Dodwell’s biography of Mehmed Ali was really British imperial nostalgia

Evidence

Studies of Mehmed Ali almost invariably proceed in a chronological order following him as he conducts one campaign after the other, starting with his early expedition against the Wahhabis in the Hijaz (1811–18), then tracking him to the Sudan (1820–22), from there to the Morea (1824–27), and ending with his climactic confrontation with the Sultan and the European powers in his most ambitious and significant campaign in Syria (1831–41). Portrayed in this chronological manner Mehmed Ali’s career immediately seems consistent, purposeful and progressing teleologically towards a climactic, well-thought-out goal, which Egyptian historians have consistently argued to be the seeking of independence from the Ottoman Empire. At the heart of these narrations and occupying central stage (sometimes literally as was shown in the Introduction above) Mehmed Ali appears as a solitary, romantic hero who was ahead of his time, little understood by his own people and betrayed by his allies, but who, through perseverance, persistence and insight was determined to fulfill his civilizing mission of pushing Egypt into the modern age and of lifting her out of what is perceived as centuries of Ottoman stagnation, tyranny and oppression. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 188 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Categorization

Category: Connection Points

Related

• British historians saw Mehmed Ali as echoing their own viceroys in India (similarity 0.89)
• British historians projected their own colonial ideals onto Mehmed Ali (similarity 0.87)
• British hostility to Mehmed Ali came from his military expansion, not his domestic reforms. (similarity 0.81)
• Mehmed Ali’s ambitious programs routinely foundered at implementation (similarity 0.81)
• Mehmed Ali sought a personal empire, not Egyptian independence. (similarity 0.81)
• Mehmed Ali mistakenly believed his expansion could shield British India from Russia (similarity 0.80)
• Egyptian historians narrate Mehmed Ali’s career as a teleological quest for independence (similarity 0.79)
• Britain opposed Mehmed Ali over his Ottoman expansion, not his industries (similarity 0.79)
• Historians presume Mehmed Ali always sought to expand beyond Egypt (similarity 0.79)
• Mehmed Ali’s wars against the Sultan were dynastic, not national (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• British historians saw Mehmed Ali as echoing their own viceroys in India #corroborates (0.75)
• Egyptian historians narrate Mehmed Ali’s career as a teleological quest for independence #contradicts (0.65) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 188
• British press in 1844 spoke warmly of Mehmed Ali despite past wars. #corroborates (0.60)