Spaces in Motion: Central Asian Neighborhood in Nineteenth-Century Cairo

• In Event: Neighborhoods in Flux: Colonial Impacts and Decolonial Prospects in and beyond Eurasia

Abstract

This paper delves into the relationship between itinerant Central Asians and the urban landscape of nineteenth-century Cairo, casting the neighborhood as a fertile ground for the development of transnational links, diplomatic relations, and cultural exchanges. Following the passage of Central Asians to Cairo, highlighting their engagement with colonial regimes that both enabled and hindered mobility and settlement, the study zooms into the al-Azbakeya neighborhood, a focal point of Central Asian life in Cairo, illustrating how these individuals fostered a sense of community and belonging in an unfamiliar territory. Through this perspective, the paper scrutinizes the emergence and evolution of diasporic neighborhoods and the act of reclaiming space under colonial regimes.

Author

• Malika Zehni, U of London (UK)