The Fellahin of Upper Egypt

Abstract

Blackman, a household name among anthropologists and Egyptologists alike, was one of the first to gather ethnographic data in Egypt in the form of notes, drawings, photographs, cine-film, and ethnographic objects on subjects ranging from mulids and tattooing to birth rituals. This book, first published in 1927, is testament to the groundbreaking and valuable research she carried out. Through experience gained while living for long periods in the villages of Upper Egypt, Blackman produced this comprehensive description of the fellahin in Upper Egypt as it was in the early years of the twentieth century. Subject areas include Egyptian villages, industry and agriculture, women and children, customs connected with rites of passage, magic and superstitions, and Muslim sheikhs and Coptic saints. Blackman was in the unusual position as a scholar of having an interest in both Egyptology and anthropology, and this unusual dual status not only gained her respect in both fields, but also, coupled with her gender, placed her in a unique position in her field of study: she was able to combine a knowledge of ancient and modern Egypt with the opportunity of access to the female members of the rural communities in her research. The Fellahin of Upper Egypt is an invaluable source for Egyptologists and all ethnoarchaeologists and anthropologists focusing on Egypt, and will make fascinating reading for all those with an interest in the culture and social history of rural Egypt.

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