Imagining Egypt: Nationalist Art in the Era of State-Building,1900-1934 [Thesis, the American University in Cairo]

American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Archived Theses and Dissertations 6-1-2009 Imagining Egypt: nationalist art in the era of state- building,1900-1934 Ruth Marcus Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/retro_etds Recommended Citation APA Citation Marcus, R. (2009).Imagining Egypt: nationalist art in the era of state-building,1900-1934 [Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/retro_etds/2326 MLA Citation Marcus, Ruth. Imagining Egypt: nationalist art in the era of state-building,1900-1934. 2009. American University in Cairo, Thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/retro_etds/2326 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Archived Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences IMAGINING EGYPT: NATIONALIST ART IN THE ERA OF STATE-BUILDING, 1900 – 1934 A Thesis Submitted to The Middle East Studies Department In partial fulfillment of the requirements for The degree of Master of Arts By Ruth Marcus BA, Columbia University, 2004 May/2009 The American University in Cairo Imagining Egypt: Nationalist Art in the Era of State-building, 1900 – 1934 A Thesis Submitted by Ruth Marcus To the Middle East Studies Program May/ 2009 In partial fulfillment of the requirements for The degree of Master of Arts Has been approved by Dr. Malak Rouchdy Thesis Committee Advisor ___________________________________________ Middle East Studies Dr. Adrienne Pine Thesis Committee Reader ____________________________________________ Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology Dr. Pascale Ghazaleh Thesis Committee Reader ____________________________________________ History ------------------------ ------------ -------------------------- ------------- Department Chair Date Dean of HUSS Date ABSTRACT The American University in Cairo Imagining Egypt: Nationalist Art in the Era of Nation-building, 1900 – 1934 by Ruth Marcus, Advised by Dr. Malak Rouchdy This thesis analyzes the relationship between nationalism and modern art in Egypt during the first three decades of the twentieth century, looking in particular at how that relationship unfolded in the career of sculptor Mahmud Mukhtar. Through a methodology based upon Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology of art, the thesis presents the “mood of the age,” or the historical, socio- political and economic context in which Mukhtar worked, along with Mukhtar’s biography, before moving on to analyze some of his most significant sculptures. The conclusion drawn is that nationalism and modern art were mutually dependent during the early twentieth century. Artists like Mukhtar drew upon nationalist support and worked within a nationalist symbolic system; nationalists incorporated the arts into their discourse and projects of reform. Therefore the understanding of either one (Egyptian nationalism or Egyptian modern art) would be incomplete without attention to the other. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would never have been able to complete this thesis without the help of a graduate research grant from The American University in Cairo. I am indebted to the guidance and support of my advisor, Dr. Malak Rouchdy, and the members of my thesis committee, Drs. Pascale Ghazaleh and Adrienne Pine. Dr. Emad Abu Ghazi kindly gave me his time, his insight and several essential resources, in particular many of the illustrations herein. Rania Samir in AUC’s Middle East Studies department was an imperturbable source of information about how to navigate the thesis process, and my tutor and translator, Mona el-Hashemy, capably conducted me through the intricacies of Arabic grammar. I thank Mustafa, AUC’s computer expert, for salvaging my hard drive after my computer crashed four days before I needed to submit this thesis. Finally, I am so grateful to my good friends Kaitlyn J. Laird and Elyce Petker. Kaitlyn lent me the computer on which I finished my work, Elyce was my editor extraordinaire, and they both let me play with their adorable dogs whenever I have the chance. NOTE Unless otherwise noted, I performed the translations herein with the capable assistance of Mona el-Hashemy. All errors in translation are my own. When transliterating Arabic words, I have attempted to follow the standards of the International Journal of Middle East Studies, but have eliminated most diacritical marks. LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION: EGYPT’S FIRST ARTIST SINCE THE TIME OF THE PHARAOHS ... 2 1.1 The Meaning of Nahdat Misr ................................................................................................ 4 1.2 Egypt in the Early Twentieth Century .................................................................................. 8 1.3 Chapter Breakdown and Literature Review ........................................................................ 10 1.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 28 2. METHODOLOGY: NATIONALISM AND MODERN ART IN EGYPT ............................. 29 2.1 Nationalism and the Land of the Nile ................................................................................. 30 2.1.1 What is Nationalism? ....................................................................................................... 31 2.1.2 Egyptian Nationalisms ..................................................................................................... 35 2.1.3 The Political Roots of Egyptian Nationalism .................................................................. 39 2.1.4 Nationalism and Social Stratification .............................................................................. 42 2.1.5 Economic Roots of Nationalism ...................................................................................... 43 2.1.6 Nationalism and Culture .................................................................................................. 44 2.2 Modernity: In the Heart or in the Head? ............................................................................. 45 2.2.1 The Modern Era in Egypt ................................................................................................ 46 2.3 Modern Art .......................................................................................................................... 49 2.3.1 Egyptian Modern Art ....................................................................................................... 51 2.4 Sociology of the Arts .......................................................................................................... 53 2.4.1 Bourdieu and the Sociology of Art .................................................................................. 54 2.4.2 Limitations of Bourdieu’s Theories in the Context of Egypt .......................................... 57 2.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 58 3. THE MOOD OF THE AGE – LIFE AND TIMES OF MAHMUD MUKHTAR ................... 60 3.1 Egypt in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries – An Overview ........................... 62 3.1.1 Social Stratification and Social Mobility ......................................................................... 70 3.1.2 Population Growth and Marginal Populations ................................................................. 74 3.1.3 Lifestyles of the Rich and Nationalist .............................................................................. 76 3.1.4 The “Woman Question” ................................................................................................... 78 3.2 Nationalist Ideology in Practice – Contesting Imperialism ................................................ 80 3.2.1 The 'Urabi Revolt ............................................................................................................. 82 3.2.2 Mukhtar’s Early Life ........................................................................................................ 83 3.2.3 The School of Fine Arts ................................................................................................... 85 3.3 Who Owns Antiquities? Egyptology and Nationalism ....................................................... 87 3.3.1 The Development of the Public Sphere ........................................................................... 91 3.4 Mukhtar and the 1919 Revolution – The Fight for Nahdat Misr ........................................ 96 3.4.1 Mukhtar’s Mission ......................................................................................................... 104 3.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 105 4. MUKHTAR’S GENIUS – NATIONALIST ART IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY ..................................................................................................................................................... 108 4.1 Mukhtar’s Artistic Style – The Student Becomes the Master ........................................... 109 4.1.1 Mukhtar’s Early Works .................................................................................................

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