Two Worlds: an Arab's Observation Notes on Europe in the 19th Century
by (egypt) Rifaa Rafea Tahtawi Et Al.
About This Novel
How did the Arab intellectual elite in the 19th century view so-called European civilization? How to mediate the contradictions and conflicts between traditional Islam and European modernity thoughts? Why has this Arab observation been accused of causing trouble for the Islamic world? Since the 19th century, the achievements of the European Industrial Revolution have overshadowed the former glory of the Eastern world. As one of the Eastern countries that opened trade to the West, Egypt was eager to participate and share in the fruits. So starting in the late 1820s, Egypt's ruler Muhammad Ali sent overseas students to Europe to learn the latest knowledge. The author of this book, Rifaa Tahtawi, was one of the first batch of international students sent by Egypt. The international students came to France, the center of Europe at that time, for a five-year visit and study. During this period, Tahtawi recorded his observations of France and even Europe as a whole from the perspective of an Arab intellectual, and even incorporated the ideas of modernity into it. When the traditional Arab society and the European society that advertises "rationality" and "science" met through a group of international students, Tahtawi seemed to be in two completely different worlds. This plunged his observations into a whirlpool of contradictions: How to reconcile the conflict between traditional beliefs and ideas about modernity? How do you view the contradiction between European anti-absolutist trends and the Egyptian political system? ... These are problems that Tahtawi constantly encounters and needs to be solved urgently.
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