Not on Bread Alone

Food, Social Discourse and the State in Interwar Egypt, 1919-1939

الملخص

During the interwar years, Egypt witnessed the evolution of an elaborated discourse revolving around the question of the state's commitment to providing food for its citizens. The discourse was led by intellectuals and upper-middle- class (Effendiyya) representatives. It intertwined a variety of ideas such as the role of the nation and class perceptions, economic agendas regarding the state's place in the economic system, and scientific discoveries concerning nutrition and food consumption. The article connects the evolution of this discourse to the political, social, and economic changes that reshaped Egyptian society during the interwar period, particularly the effects of the global depression, the changing place of the Effendiyya and the fellahin in the economic life, and the general disappointment from the liberal order of the 1920s. The article points to perceptional changes regarding the role of the state in the economic system – from a marginal and passive entity meant to intervene in economic activity only in times of crisis to a central and unifying social-national entity holding moral obligations towards the citizens. Through an examination of periodicals, economic reports, and archival documents, the article joins the recent trend of rethinking the interwar years as a crucial period for the history of modern Egypt.