Notes on the Political Economy of Eighteenth Century Egypt: The Ruling Class and Its Socio-Economic Impact

Political Economy may be seen as an attempt to cultivate a new intellectual and practical direction in examining the issues and prob­lems of the Middle East. The authors of this volume are concerned as to how the social -relations of historically specific structures in the Middle fast originate, operate and change. It is otvious that before facts are gatheed a theoretical and epistemological stance must be taken so as to assemble and analyze those particular facts relevant to speciftc issues and problems. The first two articles of this volume whi-ch are presented by Enid Hill and H.M. Thompson are concerned precisely with this point. The third essay is historical and is bas·ed on the premise that an understanding of the present includes a comprehension of the process of economic and political transfonnation. As Abdel Aziz Ezz el Arab argues, the legacy of the -Mam1uks remains with the Egyptian people even today as they struggle for the development of their nation. The last two articles by Gouda Abdel Khalek and Heba Ahmed Han­doussa develop a poignant critical analysis of two issues \u27that are of tremendous significance to Egypt as the country moves into the decade of the 1980\u27s, i.e., the Open Door Economic Policy and Egypt\u27s public sector. The structural transformation of Egypt during the next ten years or so will depend-partially on how and in whose interests these issues are resolved.https://fount.aucegypt.edu/faculty_book_chapters/1805/thumbnail.jp