Central Cairo: Street naming and the struggle over historical representation

Middle Eastern Studies

Volumn 43, Issue 6, 2007, Pages 857-878

  Meital, Yoram ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

HEGEMONY; LEADERSHIP; PUBLIC SPACE;

AFRICA; CAIRO [EGYPT]; EGYPT; NORTH AFRICA;

EID: 35549009740     PISSN: 00263206     EISSN: 17437881     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00263200701568238     Document Type: Article

References (57)

1. H. Lefebvre, The Production of Space, translated by D. Nicholson-Smith (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991), p.41.
2. An excellent review of Lefebvre's study can be found in L. Stewart, 'Bodies, Visions, and Spatial Politics: A Review Essay on Henri Lefebvre's The Production of Space', Society and Space, Vol.13 (1995), pp.609-18.
3. M. De Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life, translated by Steven F. Rendall (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984), p.108.
4. David Harvey, a Marxist geographer, endeavoured to find 'ways of seeing the city, of reading its text and finding an interpretive frame within which to locate the millions and one surprises that confront us on the street'.
5. D. Harvey, The Urban Experience: The Urbanization of Capital and Consciousness and the Urban Experience (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989), p.1.
6. In Pierre Bourdieu's recent work, the idea of 'the habitus' has stood out. The habitus is a system of habits and daily activities that are imparted via socialization systems (for example, schools), which shapes the behavioural characteristics of individuals and groups. For example, see P. Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990).
7. JamesDonald examined the city through autobiographicmemoirs, literary descriptions, and architecture. See J. Donald, 'This, Here, Now: Imagining the Modern City', in S. Westwood, and J. Williams (eds.), Imagining Cities (London: Routledge, 1997).
8. Samia Mehrez, an Egyptian literature scholar, opines that authors operate as 'subversive historians'. Accordingly, her research indicates that prominent Egyptian writers contributed in myriad ways to the design of both the hegemonic and oppositional historical narratives. S.Mehrez, Egyptian Writers between History and Fiction: Essays on NaguibMahfouz, Sonallah Ibrahim, and Gamal al-Ghitani (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 1994).
9. G. Mosse, The Nationalization of the Masses; Political Symbolism and Mass Movements in Germany from the Napoleonic Wars through the Third Reich (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991)
10. M. Ozouf, Festivals and the French Revolution, translated by A. Sheridan (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1988)
11. A. Confino, The Nation as a Local Metaphor: Wurttemberg, Imperial Germany, and National Memory, 1871-1918 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997)
12. L. Wedeen, Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999)
13. A. Ben-Amos, Funerals, Politics, and Memory in Modern France, 1789-1966 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000).
14. D. Hayden, The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995). In his study on the construction of the Basilica of Sacré Coeur in nineteenth century Paris, Harvey showed that this enterprise was a product of political rivalry and class struggle.
15. Harvey, The Urban Experience, pp.200-228.
16. For a historical survey of Isma'il's rule, see R. Hunter, Egypt Under the Khedives, 1805-1879: From Household Government to Modern Bureaucracy (Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh University Press, 1984)
17. A. al-Rahman al-Ra.'i, 'Asr Isma'il (Cairo: Dar al-Ma'arif, 1987), 2 vols.
18. A. Raymond, al-Qahira, translated by L. Faraj (Cairo: Dar al-Fiqr, 1993), pp.269-73. For a map of Cairo's development during Isma'il's reign
19. see ibid., p.271.
20. A.A. 'Arfa, al-Qahira fi 'Asr Isma'il (Cairo: Al-Dar al-Misriyya al-Lubnaniyya, 1997), pp.27-8.
21. 'Ali Mubarak documented parts of the project in 20 superlative volumes entitled al-Khitat al-Tawfiqiyya al-Jadida li Misr al-Qahira wa-Muduniha wa-biladiha al-Qadima wal-Shahira (Bulaq: Al-Matba'a al-Kubra al-Amiriyyah, 1886-89). For more on Mubarak's reorganization plan,
22. see Raymond, al-Qahira, p.273
23. 'Arfa, al-Qahira fi 'Asr Isma'il, p.32. Earlier, during the reign of Muhammad 'Ali, a nearly identical reorganization plan was presented. Both plans included the following sub-regions: Bab al-Shi'riyya with al-Azbakiyya; al-Darb al-Ahmar and al-Jamiliyya; al-Khalifa and Qusun; and 'Abdin with Darb al-Jamamiz.
24. 'Arfa, al-Qahira fi 'Asr Isma'il, p.61. The British military command resided in these barracks following their occupation of Egypt in 1882.
25. For a vivid description of the palaces in this area, see S. Raafat, Cairo - The Glory Years (Alexandria, Egypt: Harpocrates Publishers, 2003), pp.71-85. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Grand Palace was torn down and the government allocated a substantial part of the area to the Government Services Complex (Mujamm 'al-Masalih al-Hukumiyya).
26. For an excellent discussion on Garden City, see Raafat, Cairo, pp.87-110.
27. Also see 'Arfa, al-Qahira fi 'Asr Isma'il, pp.80-83.
28. Kubri Qasr al-Nil (several sources refer to it as Kubri al-Giza was the first bridge in Cairo to span the Nile (opened 10 February 1872). The bridge was 406 metres long, and four bronze lions (by the French sculptor Alfred Jacquemard) were placed at its entrances. Another major bridge, Kubri al-Bahr al-A'ma, was built in 1872. It connected the eastern bank of Gazira Island with al-Giza. This bridge was subsequently replaced by the Kubri al-Ingliz, which many referred to as Kubri al-Badi'a (after the famous entertainer Badi'a al-Masabni, whose casino was located at the eastern side of the bridge, near the present site of the Cairo Sheraton). In 1914, Kubri al-Ingliz was replaced by the present bridge (145 metres long, and 19 metres wide), which was renamed the Kubri al-Gala (Evacuation Bridge) following the 1952 revolution.
29. See 'Arfa, al-Qahira fi 'Asr Isma'il, pp.78-9. The Alexandria - Cairo railroad line was inaugurated by 'Abd al-'Aziz, the Ottoman Sultan during his visit to Egypt.
30. I.H. al-Din, Madinat al-Qahira: Min Wilayat Muhammad 'Ali ila Isma'il, 1805-1879 (Cairo: Dar al-Afaq al-'Arabiyya, 1999), pp.247-8.
31. For a detailed description of the university's nascent stages, see L. Murphy, The American University in Cairo: 1919-1987 (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1987), pp.1-18
32. D.M. Reid, Cairo University and the Making of Modern Egypt (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1990), p.31.
33. Khedive Tawfiq (1898) originally served as a palace for the king's daughter and was then given to Prince Kamil al-Din Husayn (the son of Sultan Husayn Kamil). In 1932, Prince Kamil's widow donated the palace to the state.
34. See the biography and memoirs of the two prominent Egyptian writers Naguib Mahfouz and Yahya Haqi, respectively. R. al-Naqqash, Naguib Mahfouz Safahat Min Mudhakkiratihi wa-Adwa Jadida 'ala Adabihi wa-Hayatihi (Cairo: Markaz al-Ahram lil-Tarjama wa-al-Nashr, 1998)
35. Y. Haqi, Safahat Min Tarikh Misr, vol. 5 (Cairo: Al-Hayah al-Misriyya al-'Amma lil-Kitab, 1989).
36. Numerous sources refer to this event. For a detailed description, see J. al-Sharqawi, Hariq al-Qahira (Cairo: Dar al-Thaqafa al-Jadida, 1976). The first chapter provides an accurate, hour-by-hour account of the riots.
37. A. al-Tarabili, Shawari' Laha Ta'rikh: Siyaha fi 'Aql al-Umma (Cairo: Al-Dar al-Misriyya al-Lubnaniyya, 1997), p.148.
38. For a detailed discussion on the mausoleum and the attendant political controversies, see: Raafat, Cairo, pp.66-8
39. R. Coury, 'The Politics of the Funereal: The Tomb of Saad Zaghlul', Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Vol.29 (1992), pp.191-200.
40. S. Hasan, Tamathil al-Khalidin fi Mayadin al-Qahira wal-Iskandariyya (Cairo: Dar al-Hakim lil-Tiba'a, 1995), pp.59-60. For an in-depth discussion on the statue,
41. see I. Gershoni and J. Jankowski, Commemorating the Nation, and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Egypt (Chicago: Middle East Documentation Center, 2004), pp.90-96
42. Raafat, Cairo, pp.215-17. For more on Mukhtar's artistic career and works,
43. see B.D.A. Ghazi, al-Mathal Mukhtar (Cairo: Al-Hay'a al-Misriyya al-'Amma lil-Kitab, 1994).
44. A.R. al-Rafi'i, Mustafa Kamil: Ba'ith al-Haraka al-Wataniyya (Cairo: Maktabat al-Nahda al-Misriyya, 1962). For years, al-Rafi'i filled senior positions in the National Party, which was founded by Mustafa Kamil. The latter's intensive writing was destined to have a huge impact on the revival of his legacy since the late 1930s.
45. See: Gershoni and Jankowski, Commemorating the Nation, pp.182-94.
46. For more on the statues, see: Hasan, Tamathil al-Khalidin, pp.23-5.
47. Details about the dedication ceremony can be found in: Gershoni and Jankowski, Commemorating the Nation, pp.188-9.
48. The last two institutions were established shortly after the new regime rose to power.
49. Unfortunately, the second-hand copy in my possession is missing the cover pages. From its contents, however, we can assume that it was published in 1959 or 1960. The descriptions of the celebrations are in Chapter 17, pp.123-6.
50. For an in-depth discussion on these practices, see S. Kaplan, The Pedagogical State: Education and the Politics of National Culture in Post-1980 Turkey (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006).
51. Hasan, Tamathil al-Khalidin, pp.48-9. On the base of the statue, there is a list of all the battles that Ibrahim commanded, including his two most famous ones (Nasibin and Acre), which are highlighted with metal plaques. When the Ottomans discovered that this statue dared glorify their losses in the Battles of Nasibin and Acre, they asked that the two plaques be removed. In order to resolve this minor diplomatic incident, the two plaques were returned to the artist. He exhibited them in France in 1900, and from then on kept them in his house. In 1945, as part of the celebrations marking the centennial of Ibrahim's death, the Egyptian authorities tried to locate the plaques. However, these e.orts came to nothing, and two Egyptian artists were commissioned to reproduce the plaques from an old photo.
52. Hasan, Tamathil al-Khalidin, p.64. Nubar Nubarian Pasha (1825-99) was an influential politician and the prime minister of Egypt during the second half of the nineteenth century.
53. Raafat, Cairo, p.239.
54. Y. Meital, 'The Struggle over Political Order in Egypt: The 2005 Elections', Middle East Journal, Vol.60, No.2 (Spring 2006), pp.257-79.
55. N. Mahfouz, Tharthara fawqa al-Nil (al-Qahira: Maktabat Misr, 1966). A movie directed by Hussein Kamal goes by the same title. Since its debut in 1971, the film has become one of the classics of Arab cinema. Although it is an adaptation of Mahfouz's novel, several scenes were added about Egypt in the wake of its defeat in 1967.
56. On Imam's cinematography, see W. Armbrust, 'Terrorism and Kabab: A Capraesque View of Modern Egypt', in S. Zuhur (ed.), Images of Enchantment: Visual and Performing Arts of the Middle East (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1998), pp.283-99.
57. Y. Meital, 'School Textbooks and Assembling the Puzzle of the Past in Revolutionary Egypt', Middle Eastern Studies, Vol.42, No.2 (Winter 2006), pp.255-70.