Britishness through an Arab eye: Arab Travel Accounts in Victorian England and the definition of Britishness in contrast with the other by Ahmed Fathelbab
Abstract: This article will explore two sources of Arabic travel accounts, untranslated, on Victorian England from two very influential Arab intellectuals of the time: Kashf almukhabba ‘an funūn Ūrubbā, (Unveiling the Veiled from the Arts of Europe) for Ahmed Faris Al-Shidiāq (1804-1887), a Lebanese intellectual, lexicographer, philologist, essayist, poet, and a very influential scholar of Arabic language and literature. The second account is As-Safar ’ila Al-Mu’tamar (Travelling to the Conference) for Ahmed Zaki Pacha (1867-1934), an Egyptian philologist, scholar, and politician who visited England in 1892. The two accounts show an interesting contrast between their societies and the British society involving awe and critique. They share their respective authors’ admiration of the British advancement and investigation of its foundations. The accumulated progress in Britain was attributed to qualities of the British people as well as more subtle natural conditions. Yet, the later work of Zaki was written ten years after the British conquest of Egypt in 1882 and was influenced by the expanded role England was playing in politics at home. Zaki was more patriotic in his description of British society and a stronger advocative of resurgence.