The rise of modern urbanity (tamaddun) in the Arab World education, journalism, and enlightenment

Abstract

It has been commonplace among Arab scholars to look at the relationship with the West, since Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, as being a continuous struggle against Western hegemony and colonial interests. This dominating trend has obliterated the fact that in the nineteenth century many Arab intellectuals, as well as the majority of the general public, embraced the West with open arms despite the colonial agenda. In their enthusiastic engagement with the new ideas of the French Revolution and the European Enlightenment, Western hegemony and colonial interests were issues of minor concern. The Arab community’s relentless drive for scientific advancement and new forms of urban living overshadowed all else in their proactive interactions with the West. Starting from this positive view of the engagement with the West, this study focuses on the emergence of the so-called “new urbanity” (al-tamaddun al-jadīd) in the Arab world. It aims to show how this tamaddun, which was seen as a universal, cross-cultural and inter-civilizational trend, was driven by new modes of education (the schools and universities), and promoted by new forms of mass media (the journals and newspapers). Education and journalism, the study argues, present the clearest evidence of the uninhibited, positive, and constructive interactions with Europe, clearly demonstrating how Arab intellectuals and the wider public wholeheartedly adopted and promoted Western thinking and modes of living. The concept of al-tamaddun al-jadīd had a wide scope. It encompassed both the material and cultural aspects of new urban living, including everything from the design of a spoon to the design of a city. This study focuses on “architecture” that was conceived as an integral part of the new science of engineering, which dramatically changed the face of the traditional city and had a significant impact on modern ways of life. It attempts to trace the emergence of the modern schools of architecture through the establishment of Muhandis Khāna. It shows how – under the banner of al-tamaddun al-jadīd – the institutionalisation of professional architectural education undermined traditional crafts, changed the social status of the architect, brought about new building practices, and introduced new architectural and urban forms. The study shows how the intellectual and scientific dynamism of the West found its way into the Arab world, how the Arabs strove so eagerly to catch up with the developments in modern science and technology, how Arab women contributed to the development of a new sense of tamaddun, and how embracing all aspects of modern urbanity resulted in one of the most promising episodes in modern Arab history.