An End Overcome by a Beginning: The Diminishment of the Khedivate, the Fading Away of Its Print Culture, and the Rise of Debates Over Society's Direction in Colonial Egyptian Print.

The article focuses on the history and transformation of print culture in Egypt from the 1820s through the late nineteenth century. It argues that the commonly perceived flourishing of Egyptian print culture in the 1880s and 1890s actually followed the collapse of an earlier, state-supported print culture established under the Khedivate, the autonomous government led by Meḥmed 'Alī and his successors. This initial print culture aimed to educate and support the government’s modernization efforts by disseminating knowledge that combined Islamic heritage with European learning. The British occupation beginning in 1882 undermined the Khedivate’s authority and financial base, leading to a fragmented and competitive print environment where newspapers and periodicals became vehicles for political and social debate, reflecting broader struggles over Egypt’s identity and governance. The article highlights how the earlier Khedival print culture shaped subsequent print practices and debates, even as it faded from collective memory during the colonial period.