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'Egypt at the Exhibition': Reflections on the Optics of Colonialism

Colonizing Egypt (1988) is far more ambitious than either its title or slender size (179 pp.) suggest: its aim is nothing less than the description of a distinct form of power-one originating in Western capitalist societies and extending over much of the globe during the period of European colonial expansion-upon which the ’modern political method’ depends. Nineteenth century Egypt, in this context, appears cast in the role of a test-case-one illustration of a widespread if not universal phenomenon-and, as a result, the book exhibits a certain paucity of historical detail. Indeed, as Mitchell is primarily interested in European systems of representation and domination, as well as their spread beyond the national borders of Europe, he elides much of the particularity of the Egyptian experience in favor of these broader concerns; or rather, he addresses specifics insomuch as they involve the importation and imposition of Western forms of power, while neglecting other (possibly relevant) details of the period. I make this point here simply to clarify the goals of Mitchell’s inquiry, and not to indicate a flaw in the analysis. The originality and importance of Mitchell’s book lies in two related