Egyptians redefined ‘foreigner’ to mean those closest to ruling circles
Evidence
As the writers that I examine in this chapter demonstrate, the presence of the Sudanese and the Nubians in Egypt during the late nineteenth cen- tury was crucial for the development of Egyptian national identity and for situating where Egyptians stood culturally in relation to Africa and Europe. Writers from this period repeatedly show their sensitivity to ethnic and racial differences among the residents of Egypt as they endeavor to define who was Egyptian and who was a foreigner. Increasingly, foreigner implied one of those closest to the ruling circles. Foreigners could be the pashas who surrounded the khedive and served as his ministers and highest officers. They could also be the increasing number of Europeans hired by the khe- dive for military service or as consultants, or the representatives of banks. They could be the Greek factory owners in towns. More and more, Egyptians were growing resentful of these “foreigners,” particularly the Ottoman Egyptians, who were frequently open in their disdain for native Egyptians. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 310
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: Directly supports the reader’s goal of mapping colonial layers: foreignness was defined by proximity to the pasha/khedive class, not ethnicity per se.
- DEFINE: Clarifies a distinctively Egyptian category of ‘foreigner’ that included Ottoman Egyptians and hired Europeans — not just expatriates.