Blinding Ignorance: Medical Science, Diseased Eyes, and Religious Practice in Egypt

Arab Studies Journal, Fall 2004/Spring 2005

20 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2011

See all articles by Sherine Hamdy

Sherine Hamdy

Brown University - Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs

Date Written: December 28, 2005

Abstract

This paper is concerned with trachoma, an endemic and pervasive eye disease in Egypt that is closely linked with ignorance and backwardness in official medical and public health discourses. Through a critical analysis of the literary work of Yahya Haqqi, a nationalist Egyptian writer, I argue that biomedicine is not merely a package of material technologies, but also an institution that demands the cultivation of new sensibilities and dispositions for both doctors and patients. I then compare Haqqi’s literary piece to its film adaptation to illustrate how modern medical science and reform Islam work together in Egypt to promote biomedical treatment and to dismiss popular religion-healing practices as ignorant.

Keywords: blindness, medicine, trachoma, Yahya Haqqi, Egypt, Islam

Suggested Citation

Hamdy, Sherine, Blinding Ignorance: Medical Science, Diseased Eyes, and Religious Practice in Egypt (December 28, 2005). Arab Studies Journal, Fall 2004/Spring 2005, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1935112

Sherine Hamdy (Contact Author)

Brown University - Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs ( email )

111 Thayer Street
Box 1970
Providence, RI 02912-1970
United States

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