Egyptian colonial writers could adapt European empire logic against colonization of Egypt itself

Evidence

It is important to remember that, of all the authors mentioned in this chapter, only Alï Mubärak lived to see Egypt itself colonized by the British. Although he wrote the book in 1857, he published it in 1882, soon after the British occupied Egypt. According to Wadad al-Qadi, this explains why he chose British voyagers instead of French ones. It certainly helps to understand the irrevocability of colonialism in Alï Mubärak’s account, or, if not irrevocability, the necessity for it. Had it not been for the presence of Europeans, Egyptians could easily have fallen into the same abyss that Mubärak saw engulfing the Africans. But in adopting their ways, this text seems to assert, Egyptians could gain the same power as Europeans and, like them, colonize other lands. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 284

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to broader literature on ‘subaltern’ or middle-tier empires where the colonized adopt colonizer logic to distinguish themselves from other colonized peoples