Expressly Orient? Britain’s railway-making in pre-colonial Egypt

Constructed in the 1850s with heavy British involvement, Egyptian railway was first to be built a non-European Mediterranean territory. Britain – which neither financed nor owned this nonetheless came view it as possession. Originally envisioned highway for connecting Red Sea and India, became means unto itself Britain’s drive foothold Egypt. Taking place period of both expanding influence technological innovation, article centres on largely overlooked interconnectivity between march dominance To secure railway, systematically undermined Ottoman sovereignty semi-independent efforts ranged from gunboat diplomacy combating legal reform intended limit capital punishment, saw prerequisite safeguarding its interests Moreover, de facto supported railway’s construction through mass forced labour. Once operation, social site that produced colonial racial hierarchies. Combined, shows how, decades before 1882 occupation Egypt, project irrevocably contributed gradual colonization