ABSTRACT
In an article written before England took over Egypt, the author’s tone is self-congratulatory, making comparisons with how India was ruled so competently by England, whereas the Egyptian government is viewed as corrupt; the suggestion that Britain saved India from the ‘Harrowing’ effects of famine in contrast to native Egyptian’s oversight of such catastrophes is completely disingenuous when seen in light of the millions who died in Indian famines across the century. This article provides a textbook example of vulnerabilities Devereux points to as the real cause of famine, including over-taxation of the poor. The crass stereotypes about ‘Oriental’ governors is an example of Edward Said’s definitive text on how the West colonised the East, in part through such labeling. 51
