Muhammad Ali and Modernization of Egypt: Historical-Cultural Perspectives

Egypt’s direct political contact with France during Napoleon’s rule over it produced new circumstances which led to the emergence of new patterns and horizons of relationship. It heralded into a new era of cultural encounter with the West via France which inaugurated the process of modernization in Egypt. The process of modernization started earlier during the period of Napoleon’s rule, however it was fully re-appropriated later on by Muhammad Ali, the architect of modern Egypt. This development brought about the following salient features of modernization in Egypt. First, it was no more externally imposed in character. Second, the Egyptian rulers independently presided over the process as well as the outcomes of the modernization project. Third, it instilled a new sense of national identity and the idea of modern nation which culminated into the emergence of the idea of Egyptian nation and nationalism, and finally it transformed Egypt into a land of renaissance in the entire Arab world and thus helped Egypt in becoming center of regional power and power politics. Though this paper is about the role of Muhammad Ali in introducing modernization process in Egypt and its consequences but it also takes the wider views of the subject under consideration.