Quest for Justice

Author: Khaled Fahmy

"Quest for Justice" offers a new approach to studying the history of the modern Egyptian state by tracing the developments in medicine and law during the 19th century. Drawing on the abundant records preserved in the National Archives in Cairo, the book presents the methods the Egyptian state devised to control the bodies of its subjects, as well as the numerous ways in which the populace circumvented these policies or used them in their pursuit of justice. Across its five chapters, the book examines the stages of establishing medical services and public health policies, including anatomy, quarantine enforcement, and smallpox vaccination. It also delves into the methods by which Sharia law was applied in Sharia courts and political councils, urban planning policies, the role of Hisba in market oversight, and punitive policies, including retribution, imprisonment, and torture. By adopting the human body as its unit of analysis, "Quest for Justice" provides a comprehensive understanding of how a distinct Egyptian modernity was established in the 19th century.