Policing Egyptian Women: Sex, Law, and Medicine in Khedival Egypt

Acknowledgments

xi Acknowledgments This book began with what seemed to be a jewel from a treasure box: a copy of a police record from nineteenth-century Egypt, which my advisor , Khaled Fahmy, had us read in my first year in the graduate program at New York University. It was a story of a young girl who was found in a brothel and insisted that she was still a virgin. This case opened new questions that lured me to explore the Egyptian National Archives. The jewel box turned out to be more of a mine; relevant documents required some work to unearth among many fascinating murder mysteries and less fascinating land disputes and theft cases. They were also less polished than I expected them to be. But jewels they were all the same. This work therefore owes its existence first and foremost to Khaled Fahmy, who invited me into the archives, believed in my project and supported me all the way. My committee members then helped me shape and develop this project. Linda Gordon’s careful reading urged me to explore further questions that would interest scholars of gender in other societies and to clarify points that would not be clear to those who are not Middle East experts. Zachary Lockman offered useful comments and insights and continual encouragement to pursue this project . Molly Nolan raised important questions and urged me to frame my work to a doable scope. Eve Troutt Powell provided fruitful insights about slavery and served as a role model for pursuing research oversees while raising a family. This work was undertaken mainly in the Egyptian National Archives, Bobst Library at New York University, Firestone Library at Princeton University, and the Social Sciences and History Library at the Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton. I wish to thank here Nadia Mustafa and the other employees at the main reading room of the Egyptian National Archives for their assistance in xii | Acknowledgments locating and delivering the court registers. Peter Magierski, Middle East Studies Librarian at Bobst Library, helped me trace microfilms not listed in the catalogue , in both Bobst and in other libraries. Finally, the desk I was offered at the IAS’s library during my husband’s two years at the institute offered a refuge and a quiet spot for writing and editing my dissertation. Mario Ruiz and Emad Hilal introduced me to the National Archives and helped me overcome the first obstacles facing a novice. They also helped me endure the loneliness of an Israeli scholar in the Egyptian archives, which was sometimes almost unbearable. The short tea breaks with Patricia Singleton in the archive’s cafeteria were a welcome break throughout the spring and summer of 2004. I am particularly grateful to my friends, Hanan Kholoussy, Hussein Fancy, Rebecca Johnson, Jessamine Price, Linda Kjosaas, Özlem Altan, and Muhammad Farag who helped me feel at home in Cairo, even in the most difficult moments. The apartment at Taha Hussein Street and Rebecca and Hussein’s apartment in Muhammad Mazhar Street were like second homes for us and the kids. Muhammad Farag’s cheerful visits and the tea we offered, which was never the right size, was a welcome friendship in the crowded city. During my frequent visits to Israel, Abigail Jacobson, Relli Schechter, Amy Singer, Iris Agmon, Yael Lerer, and Israel Gershoni offered encouragement and advice. Several fellowships supported my research and writing. The Dean’s Dissertation Award, awarded by the New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences funded my last year of writing. The International Dissertation Field Research Fellowship, sponsored by Social Science Research Council (SSRC) funded my year of research in Egypt. The MacCracken Fellowship from New York University supported my years of studies and writing. The university’s Andrew Sauter Fellowship for Predoctoral Students in the Humanities supported my first summer of predissertation research and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Fellowship supported my first year of study in the graduate program. Earlier versions of chapters 1 and 2 were presented at the annual workshop of the department of Middle Eastern Studies at Ben-Gurion University. I am grateful to Aref Abu Rabi‘a and Iris Agmon for inviting me to present my work to this very supportive and yet highly critical crowd, which pushed me to rethink my Ottoman context and be more critical of my archival sources. I am Acknowledgments | xiii particularly thankful to Ron...