L’Institut d’Égypte Between Colonialism and Orientalism (1798-1801)

Authors : Selda Güner Özden

Pages : 94-113

Doi:10.26650/iutd.1589301

View : 178 | Download : 117

Publication Date : 2025-07-04

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The Western world’s colonial expansion and competition during the 19th century turned various parts of the world into targets for territorial division. Indeed, Ottoman territories in Africa also became one of the arenas of this colonial competition with Napoleon’s eastern campaign in 1798, continuing throughout the century and through the partitions during World War I. This study focuses on the activities of the Institut de l’Égypte, established by Napoleon in Egypt following a colonial invasion. In Western historiography, it is known that members and institutions of another “modern” initiative evaluated the occupation of Egypt around the concepts of enlightenment, colonialism, and civilization before Mehmed Ali Pasha\\\'s reforms. This modern initiative bore traces of French colonialism. It is known that with French invasion, a scientific delegation arrived in Egypt alongside officers and soldiers. On August 22, 1798, the Institut de l’Égypte was established around this delegation. It is evident that Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign contained two aspects of colonialism: one being the occupation of a strategically important place like Egypt, and the other being the efforts to study and understand Egypt’s past, culture, and all its resources to ensure the permanence of the occupation. The Institut de l’Égypte manifested as a colonial institution. Thus, the article aims to examine how French colonialism was reflected in an intellectual institution, focusing on the publications of this institution and the memoirs of the period.
Keywords : L’Institut de l’Égypte, Kolonyalizm, Napolyon Bonapart, Description de l’Égypte, Mémoires sur l’Égypte

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