French colonial scholarship displaced Egyptians’ own self-understanding

Evidence

This work resulted in the publication of Description of Egypt, a compendium in twenty-three volumes published between 1809 and 1828. Its detailed information on every aspect of Egyptian society, from monuments to facial structures, was created for use not by Egyptians but by the French. While there is much accurate and valuable information in the Description, the important point that Said makes is that such vast knowledge was amassed without the input of the native people. This account of Egypt, Said argues, served to displace Egypt’s own sense of itself and its place in the world in favor of a French colonial vision of the same. It was ultimately created to help the French dominate the Egyptians. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 114

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Grosfoguel’s decolonial epistemology — knowledge produced without the subaltern’s input entrenches colonial domination. — connects to: Napoleon’s expedition deliberately taught Egyptians imperial ambition; Egyptian elites deliberately treated the French as colonial guides; Colonial scholars systematically reclassified Egypt as non-African to sever black achievement — Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism, 140 (+2 more)