Napoleon’s expedition deliberately taught Egyptians imperial ambition

Evidence

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 (#expands, 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 geographers aimed to instill an active imperial sense in Egyptians; Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105; Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 106 (+2 more)

Related

• Napoleon’s geographers aimed to instill an active imperial sense in Egyptians (similarity 0.97)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization (similarity 0.93)
• Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire (similarity 0.91)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion inaugurated the systematic use of scholarly knowledge to serve empire (similarity 0.91)
• Knowledge about the colonized became central to conquest only with Napoleon’s 1798 invasion (similarity 0.90)
• Napoleon’s expedition spawned both a scientific and a geopolitical Orientalist project. (similarity 0.90)
• Napoleon’s failed Egyptian invasion modeled scholarly exploitation for later empires (similarity 0.89)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest (similarity 0.89)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt inaugurated knowledge-production as an imperial instrument (similarity 0.88)
• Vast scholarly knowledge of Egyptians was compiled without native input to serve French domination (similarity 0.87)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modernized Western knowledge of the Orient. (similarity 0.87)
• The claim of suffering populations was a construct Napoleon deployed for imperial ends (similarity 0.85)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign founded modern Orientalism (similarity 0.84)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modeled scientific cultural appropriation (similarity 0.84)
• Napoleon’s Egyptian conquest modeled the civilizing mission on scholarship, preparation, and justification (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Napoleon’s geographers aimed to instill an active imperial sense in Egyptians #corroborates (0.90)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization #expands (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105
• Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire #corroborates (0.40) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 106
• Some Egyptians saw themselves as empire builders in Sudan, not merely colonial subjects #expands (0.40)
• French colonial scholarship displaced Egyptians’ own self-understanding #exemplifies (0.30) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 114