Napoleon’s geographers aimed to instill an active imperial sense in Egyptians

Evidence

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)

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 expedition deliberately taught Egyptians imperial ambition; 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 (+3 more)

Related

• Napoleon’s expedition deliberately taught Egyptians imperial ambition (similarity 0.97)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization (similarity 0.94)
• Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire (similarity 0.92)
• 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 0.89)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonial conquest (similarity 0.89)
• Napoleon’s failed Egyptian invasion modeled scholarly exploitation for later empires (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)
• The claim of suffering populations was a construct Napoleon deployed for imperial ends (similarity 0.87)
• Egyptian elites deliberately treated the French as colonial guides (similarity 0.86)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modernized Western knowledge of the Orient. (similarity 0.86)
• Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt modeled scientific cultural appropriation (similarity 0.84)
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign founded modern Orientalism (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Napoleon inaugurated the systematic use of scholarship for empire #corroborates (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 106
• Napoleon’s 1798 Egypt invasion made scholarly knowledge central to colonization #corroborates (0.55) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 105
• Egyptian elites deliberately treated the French as colonial guides #qualifies (0.30)