Cultural Imperialism in Egypt
Cultural imperialism is defined as "The active promotion of one cultural system over another" (Rowntree 27).
Egypt has been conquered and ruled by many foreign powers over its long history. It has experienced various methods of rule--the Ottomans and their Viceroy, the French councilmen, and the powerless Khedive maintained under British rule. And while all these various conquerors have in one way or another left a cultural mark, Egyptian national identity has never been successfully quelled.
Egypt's interactions with the West for much of the nineteenth century were predominately matters of economy. From the massive debt incurred to European banks during the building of the Suez Canal to the sudden boom in the cotton industry that made it "the strongest Muslim state of the 19th century" (IMPERIALISM), imperial powers have almost always viewed the country as a means to profit. Sometimes through internal trade, usually through external trade with the East, this tendency has nonetheless ensured that no great, or at least no effective, measure to eliminate Egyptian cultural nationalism has been implemented. This, while at the same time the kind of economic and political exploitation that fosters nationalism was allowed to run rampant.
More recently however examples of what could be called cultural imperialism as a corollary to globaziation has been observed in Egypt much the same way it has been observed elsewhere in the world. For example:
Fig. 2 McDonald's in Egypt
Fig.3 The Mcarabia
Other examples include things such as the suggested USAID program to "encourage english language teaching in government schools" (Mideast) which, while likely benignly intended, is eerily reminiscent of programs seen in places like South Sudan that were almost certainly intended to weaken local cultural ties. It could be argued that these examples are of an entirely different breed of cultural imperialism, utterly unlike the military conquests of a hundred years ago. At the same time however it could be argued that the motives have not changed one bit. It was, and continues to be, all about the money.
More recently however examples of what could be called cultural imperialism as a corollary to globaziation has been observed in Egypt much the same way it has been observed elsewhere in the world. For example:
Fig. 2 McDonald's in Egypt
Fig.3 The Mcarabia
Other examples include things such as the suggested USAID program to "encourage english language teaching in government schools" (Mideast) which, while likely benignly intended, is eerily reminiscent of programs seen in places like South Sudan that were almost certainly intended to weaken local cultural ties. It could be argued that these examples are of an entirely different breed of cultural imperialism, utterly unlike the military conquests of a hundred years ago. At the same time however it could be argued that the motives have not changed one bit. It was, and continues to be, all about the money.
Works Cited
Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Prin
"IMPERIALISM." IMPERIALISM. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit%204/IMPERIALISM.htm>.
"The Mideast and Abroad." Cultural Imperialism: Egypt, America, and Sudan.
N.p., 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.aslanmedia.com/news-politics/world-news/882-cultural-imperialism-egypt-america-and-sudan>.
Figure Sources
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.mcdonaldsegypt.com/en/page/page/238>.
"Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken." Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://imgarcade.com/1/mcarabia-chicken/>.
"Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken." Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://imgarcade.com/1/mcarabia-chicken/>.
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