Egypt's Liberal Experiment: 1922 - 1936

Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid-Marsot

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9780520314016
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

Egypt's Liberal Experiment: 1922-1936 invites readers to delve into Egypt's transitional years, when it grappled with the influences of colonial rule, nationalism, and burgeoning self-governance. With the sensitivity of an insider and the rigor of a historian, the author offers a nuanced portrayal of the forces that shaped Egypt's experiment with liberal democracy. Echoing geneticists and psychologists who posit that individuals and societies inherit and carry collective memories, this work suggests that Egyptian political culture is rooted in a deep-seated historical consciousness. The book traces the continuity of Egypt's struggles, aspirations, and the resilience of its people through centuries of foreign domination. Here, the desire for national autonomy was not a departure but an expression of Egypt's long-standing ethos, revealing a collective memory of resistance and survival that binds Egyptian identity and differentiates it from other nations. Rather than seeing the modern Egyptian state as a break from its past, Egypt's Liberal Experiment contextualizes the 1922-1936 period as a phase within an unbroken historical lineage. Despite the swift pace of 20th-century change, this period was characterized by both progress and enduring challenges—industrialization, educational reforms, and social shifts interwove with political instability and external control. The author highlights the period's socio-political forces that, although constrained by British influence and monarchical power, fostered a budding sense of Egyptian self-determination. This complex legacy laid the groundwork for future developments, bridging traditional values with the emerging ideals of modern nationhood and making this book essential for understanding Egypt's unique path toward political autonomy and national identity.

This title was originally published in 1977.
Egypt's Liberal Experiment: 1922-1936 invites readers to delve into Egypt's transitional years, when it grappled with the influences of colonial rule, nationalism, and burgeoning self-governance. With the sensitivity of an insider and the rigor of a histo

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Note on Transliteration
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• I Sons of the Nile
• II Prologue: The Man of the Hour
• III The King of Hearts
• IV The Iron Grip
• V “Allah Created the English Mad”
• VI Detente and Return to Constitutional Government
• VII The Second Dimension: Socioeconomic Factors
• vin The Third Dimension: Intellectual Eddies and Currents
• Conclusion
• Appendix Treaty of Alliance
• Sources and Select Bibliography
• Index