Napoleon’s 1798 invasion inaugurated the systematic use of scholarly knowledge to serve empire

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)

This is not to say that knowledge about the enemy was not essential in earlier periods. Even during medieval times, European rulers gathered accurate information about Muslim kingdoms through spies, officials, and informants in order to develop martial strategies. They did not, of course, share this knowledge with the public. Instead, they used the vitriolic rhetoric of the Holy Wars to motivate the Crusades and the Reconquista. While this general method persists even in the twenty-first century, what Napoleon’s invasion inaugurated was 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, 106 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 164; Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt inaugurated knowledge-production as an imperial instrument; Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 106 (+14 more)

Broader Connections

• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest #corroborates (0.97) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 164
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt inaugurated knowledge-production as an imperial instrument #corroborates (0.97)
• Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire #corroborates (0.96) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 106
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105
• Napoleon’s failed Egyptian invasion modeled scholarly exploitation for later empires #exemplifies (0.90)
• Napoleon institutionalized Orientalist consultation as standing colonial policy #expands (0.90) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 158
• Napoleon’s Egyptian conquest modeled the civilizing mission on scholarship, preparation, and justification #corroborates (0.90)
• Imperial ambition converted scholarly Orientalist study into active colonization #corroborates (0.88) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 553
• Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign introduced large-scale advance textual preparation to Orientalist projects #expands (0.88) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 206
• Knowledge about the colonized became central to conquest only with Napoleon’s 1798 invasion #qualifies (0.85)
• Colonialism fused military conquest, scholarly knowledge production, and a justifying ideology #corroborates (0.85)
• Napoleon institutionalized Orientalists and co-opted religious leaders into colonial administration #expands (0.85)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign founded modern Orientalism #expands (0.84) — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 381
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modeled scientific cultural appropriation #exemplifies (0.82) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 132
• Empire generates the scholarly paradigms that then legitimize its interventions. #expands (0.82) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 263