The Impact of Colonial Rule on Women’s Rights: A Case Study Specific to Egypt under the Rule of British Consul-General Lord Evelyn Cromer

This paper seeks to explore the impact of colonial rule on women’s rights using a case study specific to Egypt under the rule of British Consul-General Lord Evelyn Cromer. Cromer’s policies and actions demonstrate the othering of the Egyptian people but it also highlights, in particular, the double-othering of Egyptian women due to their race and religious beliefs as well as their gender. In order to address these issues, analysis of primary source texts written by Cromer provide insight into his beliefs about the Egyptian people as well as his views about women’s rights. These primary source texts are supplemented by multiple secondary sources from other scholars who have provided evidence demonstrating Cromer’s misogyny and hypocrisy in claiming to fight for the rights of women in Egypt. Through in-depth analysis, it is my hope to demonstrate the impact of colonialism on women’s rights as well as how a similar ideology stemmed from British cultural and societal expectations, specifically the absence of women’s rights in Britain during the colonial era