La genèse de l'esprit national égyptien (1863-1882)

The work opens a vivid portal onto Egypt’s transformative years between 1863 and 1882, when a fledgling national consciousness began to take shape amid sweeping reforms and mounting foreign pressure. Drawing on unpublished memoirs, rare newspaper collections and personal testimonies, the author reconstructs a tangled landscape of politics, finance and ideas, showing how the ambitious modernization projects of Khedive Ismail intersected with the growing voice of a critical public sphere.

Through the lenses of figures such as the reformist scholar Mohamed Abduh and the military leader Arabi Pasha, the narrative reveals the early intellectual currents that prefigured the later revolt of 1881‑82. It balances meticulous archival detail with an accessible storytelling style, inviting listeners to hear the debates, hopes, and anxieties that animated Egyptian society on the cusp of modern nationhood.