The East India Company and Early British Colonialism in Egypt: A Critical Discourse Analysis.

During his tenure as British Proconsul-general for Egypt (1877-1907), Lord Cromer expressed an imperialistic stance in his book Modern Egypt (1916), suggesting Egyptians should be governed according to European values.

This mirrors Orientalism, a critique of Western academia put forward by Edward Said (1978), perpetuating stereotypes of Egyptian incapacity for self-governance during British Colonial rule.

While Said critiqued Cromer, scholars overlooked researching East India Company (EIC) diplomats who paved the way for formal British rule in Egypt during the period 1833-1870.

This project aims to examine written communications of EIC consuls and agents in Egypt to assess the extent of integrated Company Orientalism in policy implementation, a topic previously unstudied. Company Orientalism, an offshoot of the broader discipline of Orientalism was cultivated by EIC scholars.

These consuls and agents, notably those stationed in Egypt during the specified timeframe, maintained an element of British control over the Suez-Alexandria trade route, whilst incorporating core tenets of Company Orientalism-perceptions of cultural superiority, appropriation of indigenous knowledge, and cultural representations-to justify the implementation of economic and administrative colonial policies in Egypt.

To provide clarity, some early British consuls in Egypt also held the role of agent to the Company, but later agents to the Company did not serve as consul.

Notably, three individuals held the dual role of consul/agent: Patrick Campbell (1833-1839), John Lyons (1839-1847), and Henry Johnson (1847-1870).

The thesis focuses on exposing the integration of Company Orientalism by EIC men and critically assessing its role in validating colonial policies in Egypt, using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as an interdisciplinary approach to study the relationship between language, power, and society.