Knowledge about the colonized became central to conquest only with Napoleon’s 1798 invasion

Evidence

When Napoleon invaded Egypt a few years later, he was able to take with him Orientalists whose knowledge could be put to use for colonial purposes. Edward Said has argued that Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798 stands out as the first instance when knowledge about the native people became central to the colonizing mission. It was a crucial moment in the emergence of Orientalism. While the occupation itself lasted barely three years and was something of a disaster, it provided an ideological model for future colonial conquests. Napoleon’s invasion inaugurated the systematic use of scholarly knowledge to serve the needs of empire, both abroad and at home. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 164 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In 1795, the School of Living Oriental Languages was established in Paris. When Napoleon invaded Egypt a few years later, he was able to take with him Orientalists whose knowledge could be put to use for colonial purposes. Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798 stands out as the first instance when knowledge about the native people became central to a colonizing mission. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Napoleon’s 1798 invasion inaugurated the systematic use of scholarly knowledge to serve empire; Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 164; Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 164
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt inaugurated knowledge-production as an imperial instrument #corroborates (0.94)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization #corroborates (0.92) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign founded modern Orientalism #corroborates (0.78) — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 381
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modeled scientific cultural appropriation #expands (0.75) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 132
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modernized Western knowledge of the Orient. #expands (0.72)
• Europeans were epistemological colonizers before any actual colonial deployment #contradicts (0.72)