Cultural Entanglements and Missionary Spaces: European Evangelicals in Egypt (1900-1956)
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Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2015 Cultural entanglements and missionary spaces : European evangelicals in Egypt (1900-1956) Boulos, Samir Abstract: This Ph.D.-thesis examines processes of cultural exchange, which took place in the sphere of influence of European-protestant missionary institutions. It focuses on the field of those charitable andec- clesiastical institutions, which were active in Egypt in the first half of the twentieth century. Based onthe concept of “entangled histories”, relations and interactions are regarded as formative for both, indigenous people and Europeans. Therefore, perceptions and experiences of Egyptians are equally studied along with western sources. These are mainly found in the archives of the British “Egypt General Mission”, of the “English Mission College” and of the German “Sudan-Pionier-Mission”. Oral History Interviews are the basis for examining the Egyp- tian perspectives on Christian mission. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the theory of cultural exchange. For that purpose, three aspects of cultural exchange processes are studied. Firstly, the results of these processes are described. I am particularly focusing on the history of mentalities and aspects of micro-history. Secondly, I will deal with the functionalities of cultural exchange, how processes of intermediation, adoption and transformation of cultural elements work. Eventually, I am discussing the conditions under which exchange processes actually happened and why certain cultural elements have been adopted or refused. Besides the description of the results and modes of operation, it is an essential aspect of my research to explain processes of cultural exchange in the field of missionary institutions. = Diese Dissertation untersucht kulturelle Austauschprozesse, diesich im Einflussbereich europäisch-protestantischer Missions- institutionen vollzogen. Dabei legt diese Arbeit ihren Forschungsschwerpunkt auf das Wirkungsfeld jener sozialen und kirch- lichen Einrichtungen, die in der ersten Hälfte des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts in Ägypten tätig waren. Ausgehend vom Konzept der „Verflechtungsgeschichte“ werden Beziehungen und Interaktionen sowohl für Einheimischen alsauch für Europäer als prägend erachtet. Deshalb werden neben westlichen Quellen, die hauptsächlich aus den Archiven der britischen “Egypt General Mission”, des “English Mission College” und der deutschen “Sudan-Pionier-Mission” stammen, die Wahrnehmungen und Er- fahrungen der Missionierten berück- sichtigt. Oral History Interviews mit ehemaligen Missionsschülern bilden die Grundlage zur Erforschung der ägyptischen Perspektiven auf die Mission. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit besteht darin, einen Beitrag zur Theorie des kulturellen Austauschs zu leisten. Dazu werden drei Aspekte untersucht: Zum einen wer- den die Resultate kultureller Aus- tauschprozesse beschrieben. Die Auswirkungen auf das Alltagsleben und die Mentalitäten stehen hierbei im Vordergrund. Zweitens werden die Funktionsweisen kulturellen Austauschs dargestellt, also wie Prozesse der Vermittlung, Aneignung und Transformation kultureller Elemente funktionieren. Schliesslich wird erörtert, unter welchen Bedingungen es zu solchen Pro- zessen gekommen ist und weshalb gewisse kulturelle Elemente aufgenommen bzw. abgelehnt wurden. Neben der Beschreibung der Produkte und Funktionsweisen kultureller Austauschprozesse, ist also deren Erklärung ein wichtiges Ziel dieser Arbeit. Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-164426 Dissertation Published Version Originally published at: Boulos, Samir. Cultural entanglements and missionary spaces : European evangelicals in Egypt (1900- 1956). 2015, University of Zurich, Faculty of Arts. 2 CULTURAL ENTANGLEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SPACES: EUROPEAN EVANGELICALS IN EGYPT (1900-1956) Thesis presented to the Faculty of Arts of the University of Zurich for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Samir Boulos of Rüegsau BE Accepted in the fall semester 2012 on the recommendation of Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplony and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rudolph Zurich, 2015 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. PROVERBS, 27:17 iv CONTENTS Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ vii Notes on Transliteration, List of Abbreviations, Interview Transcription .......... ix Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 1. Historical Context: Egypt and the Christian Mission .................................... 18 1.1 Framework of Missionary Activities in Egypt ......................................................... 18 1.2 European Evangelicals and their Missions in Egypt ................................................ 37 1.3 Egyptian Government, Imperialism, and Christian Mission .................................... 52 2. Missionary Educational Work ...................................................................... 67 2.1 The Missionaries’ Self-Understanding in Education ............................................... 67 2.2.1 The English Mission College ................................................................................ 77 2.2.2 The Bethel Girls’ School in Suez ........................................................................ 106 2.3 Traces of the Educational Work ............................................................................. 128 3. Health and Christian Mission ..................................................................... 144 3.1 The Missionaries’ Self-Understanding in Medical Mission .................................. 144 3.2.1 The Medical Work of the Sudan-Pionier Mission .............................................. 156 3.2.2 Health and Morality: Discourses on Cleanliness, Hygiene and Superstition ...... 193 3. 3. Traces of the Medical Mission ............................................................................. 215 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 233 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 249 v vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My first debt of gratitude goes to my initial supervisor and “Doktorvater” Professor Andreas Kaplony, whose encouragement and unmatched generosity with his time and assistance has showed me an example of the promotion young scholars. Many thanks also to my second su- pervisor Professor Ulrich Rudolph for supporting my work and offering valuable advice. Thanks go to all the members of the Oriental Institute of the University of Zurich, who sup- ported me in various ways and stimulated my study with thoughtful discussions. I am grateful to Professor Dorothea Lüddeckens, who supported me in refining my skills in the methods of qualitative social research and who took a vital interest in my study. Special thanks to Profes- sor Heather J. Sharkey, whom I admire for her work, for her kind support and feedback. I would like to thank the University Research Priority Program (URPP) Asia and Europe for the fellowship during the initial years of my research (2008-2011) and for the generous sup- port for my research stays and conference trips. The URPP Asia and Europe furthermore pro- vided me with the possibility to delve into various topics and theoretical approaches and I am grateful to my fellow doctoral students, post-docs and affiliated professors for the lively dis- cussions that inspired my work. Thanks also to the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Emil-Boral Foundation for providing me with a twelve-month fellowship to continue and complete my research in Berlin. The Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies of the Freie Universität Berlin has hosted me during my research stay in Berlin and provided a stimulating atmosphere to write my dissertation. I give thanks to the helpful and very kind staff of the Graduate School, to the affiliated professors, and particularly to all my colleagues, doctoral students and visiting scholars, for the inspiring discussions and all their support. Spe- cial thanks go to Professor Gudrun Krämer, whose invitation enabled me to work at the Grad- uate School. Her advice and support encouraged me in the arduous process of writing my dis- sertation. I appreciate the support and assistance I received in the archives and libraries. Thanks go to the staff of the Evangeliumsgemeinschaft Mittlerer Osten (EMO) in Wiesbaden for their hos- pitability and Rev. Eberhard Troeger for the introduction to the EMO archives that holds the Sudan-Pionier Mission records. I am indebt to Rev. Gerald Lauche, who helped me with my research in Egypt and provided me with rare Arabic sources. I also would like to thank the staff of the MECO International in Tunbridge Wells for allowing the use of their archives and their assistance. Thanks to the staff of Episcopal Diocese of Egypt in Cairo for their access to their archives, their interest in my work and their support of my study. I am also grateful to vii the staff of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, especially to Rev. Dr. Tharwat W. Wahba for his support and to Dr. Venus Boulos for her interest in my work and kind assis- tance in the archive and library of the Theological Seminary. Thanks also go to Martha Smalley and Joan Duffy at the Day Missions Library of Yale