To what degree were Egyptian academics involved in producing and writing this history?These issues cannot be resolved by well-meaning American filmmakers simply deciding to cast Cleopatra as Black without involving Egyptians in this decision or the process.
The key question is about the role of race in the production and dissemination of knowledge about Cleopatra. To what degree were Egyptian academics involved in producing and writing this history? Rather than what color she was, the more pressing question is about the role of race in the production and dissemination of knowledge about Cleopatra and her history. This leaves the scholarly and scientific works promoting Cleopatra’s whiteness or her Blackness inadequate. It’s a field that was once sponsored by colonizing forces of Egypt and shrouded in racism toward modern-day Egyptians. But even the writing of ancient history has suffered from racial bias and a marginalization of scholars from formerly colonized nations-and Egyptology is no different. There is an emerging interest among some scholars in Cleopatra’s possible multiracial heritage (she is usually depicted as being of Greek Macedonian lineage, and the world saw Elizabeth Taylor cast as the Ptolemaic queen in the 1963 Hollywood movie). This racist and colonialist attitude has manifested itself widely over the years, whether in tangible form, such as the continued possession of Egyptian cultural artifacts that were seized during the era of colonialism or in subtler ways, including through Egyptomania, the fascination with Pharaonic civilization that has existed for centuries, peaking during waves of Western imperialist expansion. In the early 1960s, Kennedy-like many Westerners-talked about modern Egyptians’ links to antiquity as if they were too inferior to be related to a great civilization. While some of the reactions have been crudely racist, other criticisms have been motivated by historical grievances and the long-standing Western tradition of separating modern Egyptians from their ancient heritage-whether in the name of imperialist notions of Western civilization or Afrocentrism.
The latest iteration of this debate blew up last month with the release of trailers for Netflix’s Cleopatra, featuring the Black British actress Adele James playing the legendary Ptolemaic queen-a casting decision that has unleashed massive anger among Egyptians. It’s a pattern that has a long history and has persisted, continuing to frustrate Egyptians until today. While being busy scoring a point against the Soviets in the heated Cold War context of the times, they also casually laid claim to ancient Egypt. This is not a bilateral gift in any sense.”Įgypt had called for international assistance in preserving its Nubian monuments that were threatened by flooding as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the Americans, through a broader UNESCO effort, answered the call. We are doing our own future generations in this country a favor, insofar as we are helping to preserve their own historical roots. Coombs, reiterated what the president had said, going even further in appropriating the ancient Egyptian civilization: “These monuments are great historical roots of all Western civilization. A member of his administration, the State Department’s Philip H. “We have … had a special interest in the civilization of ancient Egypt from which many of our own cultural traditions have sprung,” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Congress. taxpayer money for this purpose: That Americans would be paying to save part of their own cultural heritage. Kennedy was seeking to help Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt rescue ancient temples from flooding in 1961, he made an interesting argument to convince Congress to approve the spending of $10 million of U.S.
0 kommentar(er)
