GLOBALIZATION IN EGYPT IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE SUEZ CANAL, HISTORY, AND GLOBALIZATION

Abstract

The history of globalization is generally depicted as involving increasingly reduced constraints imposed by space and distance and the accelerated flow of people, goods, services, and ideas. This picture can be refined by considering the various movements through the Suez Canal, a global shortcut that is often presented as belonging to a narrative of mid–late 19th-century technological progress. After its opening in 1869, the canal developed into a thoroughfare, carrying records and goods as well as people and their ideas. However, an under-examined role of the Suez Canal is its role in triggering changes in the local flora and fauna, environmental transformations, and the migration of species. This study considers the role of the Suez Canal in the globalization of Egypt with a focus on impacts on the social and natural environments. Following a case study of Port Said and Ismailia as model cities, the paper presents a review of some articles published in Nature since the canal’s opening. Ultimately, it delineates five historical stages of increasing globalization, which encompass issues concerning the canal’s opening and biology as well as debates among scientists and other experts.