The Agricultural Policy of Muhammad ʻAlī in Egypt


Book Description

Agriculture was the basis of the Egyptian economy when Muḥammad 'Alī, "Founder of modern Egypt," was appointed governor of Egypt by the Ottoman sultan in 1805. Dr. Rivlin's purpose is to discover if Muḥammad 'Alī had a well-conceived agricultural policy of lasting significance for the development of Egyptian institutions. The conclusion reached after careful analysis of the problem from every facet is that far from having an agricultural policy per se, Muḥammad 'Alī merely utilized the agricultural wealth of Egypt for the purposes of personal aggrandizement and the attainment of a position of great power and independence for himself and his descendants within the Ottoman empire. The measures taken by Muḥammad 'Alī affecting land tenure replaced one class of landholders by another to the detriment of the peasant class and the religious institution. Although the Pasha can be credited with changing the Egyptian economy from a subsistence to a cash crop economy by the investment of capital in the development of agriculture, the financial benefits gained thereby accrued primarily to the Pasha himself. Instead of using these profits for economic purposes, Muḥammad 'Alī embarked upon a program of military adventurism that eventually undermined the economic life of the country and brought only limited political gains to Egypt. Muḥammad 'Alī's domestic policies established the social and economic pattern which prevailed until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and are largely responsible for many of Egypt's present problems. Dr. Rivlin's study is of major importance to students of the contemporary Egyptian scene, and should serve as an object lesson for present planners in underdeveloped countries. -- from dust jacket.




Transforming Agriculture in South Asia


Book Description

Debates about public expenditure in the agricultural sector have reopened in many developing and emerging economies because of high budget deficits and changes in public opinion. As a result, agricultural policy in many of these countries is beginning to take a more market-oriented approach to agrarian problems, most notably through the introduction of contract farming. This book explores the policy issues around contract farming and its transformative potential and addresses the lack of empirical research on this topic by focusing on South Asia: principally India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The book first addresses the effects of contract farming (vertical coordination) on productivity, food security indicators (yield, consumption expenditures, prices), employment and input usage. Then it draws lessons from the South Asian case studies on the impact of institutional changes, like contract farming, on income and food security of smallholder households. The core of the book includes case study chapters on several commodities that are produced under contract farming, including vegetables and fisheries in Bangladesh, low-value crops in Nepal and coffee in India. Other chapters also explore contracts, storage, input usage and technical efficiency in these cases. This book serves as an essential guide to academics, researchers, students, legislative liaisons and think tank groups interested in agrarian issues, agricultural economics and agricultural policy in emerging economies and particularly in South Asia.




Egypt's Agricultural Development, 1800-1980


Book Description

This book uses both microeconomic theory and social and political analysis to show how the interaction of social classes, technical change, government policy, and the international and state systems have shaped Egypt's agricultural development.




Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One


Book Description

The present work is a broad survey of political, social, economic and cultural developments in India between 1206 and 1526. These three and a quarter centuries, called the Delhi Sultanat, is sometimes seen as a dark age of war and rapine in which little developments took place.




Colonising Egypt


Book Description

Extending deconstructive theory to historical and political analysis, Timothy Mitchell examines the peculiarity of Western conceptions of order and truth through a re-reading of Europe's colonial encounter with nineteenth-century Egypt.




Soldiers, Traders, and Slaves


Book Description

In the Nuba Hills, on the frontiers of the Islamic Sudan, a dynasty of Muslim warrior kings arose in the eighteenth century. Their kingdom, Taqali, survived as an independent state, resisting conquest by larger empires, and coming under external control only during the twentieth century. Janet Ewald has written the first comprehensive account of the origins and development of the Taqali kingdom. Ewald shows how events originating far beyond the Taqali massif allowed local Muslim soldiers to become kings of the Taqali in the eighteenth century and then to hold on to their power. But the nature of that power was shaped by the highland farmers who stubbornly and largely successfully resisted the efforts of the kings to parlay their control over the means of production. In this struggle religion became an ideological weapon on both sides, as the Taqali farmers asserted their local beliefs against their Muslim rulers. Political confrontations also bore unintended economic consequences. Ewald's account of Taqali challenges current views on the impact of Islam, merchant capitalism, and Egyptian military administration in nineteenth-century Sudan.




Developing Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan


Book Description

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy and development of Pakistan providing food to consumers, raw materials to industries, and a market for industrial goods. Unfortunately, agricultural production is stagnant due to several barriers including a fixed cropping pattern, reliance on a few major crops, a narrow genetic pool, poor seed quality, and a changing climate. In addition, the high cost of production, weak phytosanitary compliance mechanisms, and a lack of cold chain facilities makes Pakistan agriculturally uncompetitive in export markets. Despite all these issues, agriculture is the primary industry in Pakistan and small farmers continue to dominate the business. Small farmers grow crops for subsistence under a fixed cropping pattern and a holistic approach is required to develop agriculture to improve the livelihoods of the rural populace. This book presents an exhaustive look at agriculture in Pakistan. Chapters provide critical analyses of present trends, inadequacies in agriculture, strategic planning, improvement programs and policies while keeping in view the natural resources, plant- and animal-related agricultural production technologies, input supplies, population planning, migration and poverty, and balanced policies on finance, credit, marketing, and trade.




Imagined Empires


Book Description

Through a microhistory of a small province in Upper Egypt, this book investigates the history of five world empires that assumed hegemony in Qina province over the last five centuries. Imagined Empires charts modes of subaltern rebellion against the destructive policies of colonial intruders and collaborating local elites in the south of Egypt. Abul-Magd vividly narrates stories of sabotage, banditry, flight, and massive uprisings of peasants and laborers, to challenge myths of imperial competence. The book depicts forms of subaltern discontent against "imagined empires" that failed in achieving their professed goals and brought about environmental crises to Qina province. As the book deconstructs myths about early modern and modern world hegemons, it reveals that imperial modernity and its market economy altered existing systems of landownership, irrigation, and trade— leading to such destructive occurrences as the plague and cholera epidemics. The book also deconstructs myths in Egyptian historiography, highlighting the problems of a Cairo-centered idea of the Egyptian nation-state. The book covers the Ottoman, French, Muhammad Ali’s, and the British informal and formal empires. It alludes to the U.S. and its failed market economy in Upper Egypt, which partially resulted in Qina’s participation in the 2011 revolution. Imagined Empires is a timely addition to Middle Eastern and world history.




The Modern Middle East


Book Description

This valuable collection of essays brings leading Middle Eastern scholars together in one volume and provides an unparalleled view of the modern Middle East. Covering two centuries of change, from 1789 to the present, the selection is carefully designed for students and is the only available text of its kind. It will also appeal to anyone with a general interest in the Middle East. The book is divided into four sections: Reforming Elites and Changing Relations with Europe, 1789-1918; Transformations in Society and Economy, 1789-1918; The Construction of Nationalist Ideologies and Politics up to the 1950s; and The Middle East since the Second World War. This valuable collection of essays brings leading Middle Eastern scholars together in one volume and provides an unparalleled view of the modern Middle East. Covering two centuries of change, from 1789 to the present, the selection is carefully designed for students and is the only available text of its kind. It will also appeal to anyone with a general interest in the Middle East. The book is divided into four sections: Reforming Elites and Changing Relations with Europe, 1789-1918; Transformations in Society and Economy, 1789-1918; The Construction of Nationalist Ideologies and Politics up to the 1950s; and The Middle East since the Second World War.




The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought


Book Description

"In 2012, the year 1433 of the Muslim calendar, the Islamic population throughout the world was estimated at approximately a billion and a half, representing about one-fifth of humanity. In geographical terms, Islam occupies the center of the world, stretching like a big belt across the globe from east to west."--P. vii.