State and Society in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Egypt.

In State and Society in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Egypt (Cambridge: U.P., 1990; pp. xiv + 320. [pound]32.50) Ehud Toledano explores 'political, social, and cultural themes that lie at the crossroads of state and society' in mid-nineteenth-century Ottoman Egypt. He succeeds in evoking an era, describing the structure and workings of the central government, and providing much fascinating detail about what has been seen as a 'stagnant and dull' period. What emerges is a clear picture of an Ottoman provincial elite and of the social conditions of the urban population it controlled. Dr Toledano has made excellent use of Egyptian and European government archives and a wide range of …