Hopwood

Abstract

Hopwood found that when the French took over Egypt in the late 1700 they began a large immigration of Europeans, which stayed until the 1950’s. The rest live in the cities and consider themselves the elites (Hopwood page 6). Egypt’s education system is largely influenced by the Islamic religion. Egyptian society is homogeneous—Muslim and Arab. There is, however, a large minority. The Christian Copts are the descendants of the first Egyptian converts to Christianity and, therefore, of the original Pharaonic inhabitants.(page 171) Egyptian society is basically homogeneous—Muslim and Arab. Marriage is naturally at the centre of life and Islamic law has closely governed its provisions. The ideal laid down by Egyptian textbooks is that woman is made for marriage, that she should obey her husband, stay at home and love her children. The ideal husband should love his wife (no mention is made of love of the wife for him), treat her well and be responsible for her. ‘God dislikes divorce’ because permanence in marriage is of value to the children. Polygamy is not forbidden; neither is it encouraged. In practice, Egyptian women writers complain, marriage is still a very unequal partnership(Booth pg.169).

Migration and Immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries

Hopwood found that when the French took over Egypt in the late 1805 they began a large immigration of Europeans, which stayed until 1952. (Hopwood pg. 6). The influx of Europeans built a new Cairo, which was more organized and prettier to look at, adjacent to the old part of the city. (Hopwood pg. 11). The Europeans treated the Egyptians like they were criminals, requiring them to live as if in a barracks, to walk outside required the Egyptians to produce papers and identification, they were under constant surveillance, and surrendered their crops to the government (Mitchell pg.34). With political upheaval in 1952, there was a huge exodus, which left Egypt a country of 97% natives mainly Arabs and Muslims. Today, the current makeup of population in Egypt is nearly 60% peasant. Fortunately, the peasants do not feel that is a bad thing, as they have lived for thousands of years this way and like it as they are very suspicious of new ways(Hopwood pg.162 ).

Education Today

Education is compulsory for a basic nine-year cycle but attendance not enforced; approximately 16 percent of school-age children do not attend. (Library of Congress-LOC) Egyptian culture is mainly that of peasants (60%) and the peasants feel that a formal education is neither needed nor desired. In the minds of the peasants, the outsiders are not to be trusted with their new ideas. The peasants prefer to pass on to their children all they need to know. (Hopwood pg.163 ). Outwardly, the appearance is that ignorant peasants are unaware of the value of education, but from the peasants view education is just a bunch of new ideas that the latest government is espousing. Soon, the peasant believes, the government changes and new ideas must be learned, henceforth the best plan is to keep isolated and let the governments come and go.

Family and Social Structure

The focus of Egyptian life today is marriage, with the males being the dominant and important person. Women are second class citizens with little exceptions as the old ways of the peasants linger due to their poor education. Egypt remains under the social, political, and cultural dominance of the elite, a pattern it has retained since pharaonic times. (LOC) The Islamic religion greatly influences the daily life, education, marriage, and politics of the nation as it has for thousands of years. Most foreigners were forced out of the country in the 1950’s and today a small number of elite Arabs and Muslims enjoy all the political and economic wealth. Under British and French rule in the past

In the second quarter of the nineteenth century the people of Egypt were made inmates of their own villages. A government ordinance of January 1830 confined them to their native districts, and required them to seek a permit and papers of identification if they wished to travel outside. 'It was scarcely possible', we are told, 'for a fellah to pass from one village to another without a written passport.' The village was to be run like a barracks, its inhabitants placed under the surveillance of guards night and day, and under the supervision of inspectors as they cultivated the land - and surrendered to the government warehouse its produce (Mitchell pg.34).

Women although their status has improved in the last 20 years are, predominantly, relegated to being submissive to men. Throughout Muslim-majority societies today, advertising life histories of the earliest Muslim women is one potent way to articulate visions of what gender ought to mean in a modern society (Booth pg. 281).

Conclusion

Egypt has seen conquers come and go yet for thousands of years they have lived the same basic peasant lives. They have no desire for the new ways of the world such as wealth, technology, and politics. To the native Egyptian the land and the Nile River have always provided for them and always will, the governments and conquerors are minor inconveniences. Husbands, wife’s and their children have to work the land and river and wish to be alone, their tip of the iceberg is that they appear poor and stupid to outsiders but outsiders fail to see that their simple ways have worked for thousands of years without interference and they have found happiness and contentment. The peasants shake their heads at outsiders strange ways and wonder why they never learn.

Reference:

Egypt, Politics and Society, 1945-1990, Hopwood, Derek. London ; New York Routledge, 2002. eBook ISBN: 9780203304266 ISBN: 9780203204573, Subject: Egypt--History--1952-

May Her Likes Be Multiplied : Biography and Gender Politics in Egypt, Booth, Marilyn. Berkeley University of California Press, 2001. eBook ISBN: 9780585389295 English

Colonising Egypt : Mitchell, Timothy. Berkeley University of California Press, 1988 eBook ISBN: 9780585116723 Egypt--Relations--Europe. Egypt--Civilization--1798-

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/egtoc.html#eg0006