Egypt’s own colonizing of Sudan shaped its sense of nationhood

Evidence

As J. B. Harley writes, “So the surveyor, whether conscious or otherwise, replicates not just the ‘environment’ in some abstract sense but equally the territorial imperatives of a particular political system. Whether a map is produced under the banner of cartographic science—as most official maps have been—or whether it is an overt propaganda exercise, it cannot escape involvement in the processes by which power is deployed.” As these maps described the Sudan in increasingly precise detail, so too did their creators chart a more defined map of Egypt geographically, politically, and culturally. The process of conquering and studying the Sudan would create among Egyptians, by the last quarter of the century, a much stronger sense of the state and nation—of what Egypt meant. This small empire was drawn by its colonies. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 127 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Egyptian nationalists held a Janus-faced worldview of being colonized yet colonizing.; Conquering the Sudan gave Egyptians a stronger sense of nation — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 127; Egypt functioned simultaneously as colonized and colonizer of Sudan — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 527 (+18 more)

Related

• Conquering the Sudan gave Egyptians a stronger sense of nation (similarity 0.95)
• Egyptians under Muhammad Ali internalized empire as they mapped Sudan (similarity 0.88)
• Egyptians learned empire by drawing sharper distinctions from Sudan (similarity 0.86)
• Mapping the Sudan intensified Egyptian national self-definition (similarity 0.86)
• Egypt ran its own colonial empire in Sudan from 1821 to 1884 (similarity 0.86)
• Some Egyptians saw themselves as empire builders in Sudan, not merely colonial subjects (similarity 0.86)
• Egyptian nationalists held a Janus-faced worldview of being colonized yet colonizing. (similarity 0.85)
• Sudan served as the foil that defined Egyptian national identity (similarity 0.84)
• Egyptian nationalism framed Sudan as Egypt’s soul through shared experience. (similarity 0.84)
• Egyptian nationalists saw mastery over the Sudan as restoration of past greatness (similarity 0.84)
• Egypt was simultaneously colonized by Britain and eager to recolonize the Sudan. (similarity 0.84)
• Egyptians feared being viewed by Europe as colonizable like Sudan (similarity 0.84)
• Egypt relied on European geographers to map the conquered Sudan. (similarity 0.84)
• Sudan simultaneously built Egyptian national identity and signified exile from it (similarity 0.84)
• Egyptian nationalists could simultaneously enforce and suffer colonialism. (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Conquering the Sudan gave Egyptians a stronger sense of nation #corroborates (0.90) — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 127
• Mapping the Sudanese colony strengthened the Egyptian national sense of self #corroborates (0.80)
• Mapping the Sudan intensified Egyptian national self-definition #corroborates (0.80)
• Sudan simultaneously built Egyptian national identity and signified exile from it #corroborates (0.70)
• Egypt ran its own colonial empire in Sudan from 1821 to 1884 #expands (0.70)
• Egyptians learned empire by drawing sharper distinctions from Sudan #expands (0.70)
• Egypt functioned simultaneously as colonized and colonizer of Sudan #expands (0.60) — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 527
• Egyptian nationalists reclaimed Sudan as Egypt’s colonial right by conquest. #expands (0.60)
• Egypt was simultaneously a British colony and a colonizer of Sudan. #expands (0.60) — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 121
• Egyptians under Muhammad Ali internalized empire as they mapped Sudan #expands (0.60)