Articulating Self and Other: Edward Henry Palmer—"Sheikh Abdallah"—and the Middle East

Abstract

abstract: This essay draws on Stuart Hall's theory of articulation by examining the writings of Edward Henry Palmer. Palmer (1840–82) was a scholar and man of letters widely known in Victorian Britain for his Middle Eastern travels and his studies of Arabic culture and literature at Cambridge University. Palmer's writings on Middle Eastern society, poetry, history, and religious traditions allowed him to develop critiques of dissenting voices in Britain, mainly those of atheists and working-class communities. He also addressed fears of Islam at a time when Britain was concerned about safe access to Middle Eastern routes to India—a time marked by Christian-Muslim clashes in Eastern Europe and Muslim rebellion in India. By examining how Self and Others were articulated in non-reductionist, non-essentialist ways, this essay reveals that Victorian debates about religion, empire, and material progress shaped and were shaped by British encounters with the Middle East.