?How did Egyptians interpret the relationship between medicine, law, and politics? In his latest work, In Quest of Justice, Egyptian historian and professor of modern Arab studies at Cambridge University, Khaled Fahmy, takes readers on a journey through time where power, law, medicine, and the day-to-day lives of 19th century Egyptians intersect.

What did justice look like back then? The book dissects the concept and application of justice — and Egyptians’ experiences with it — during the reign of Muhammed Ali and his successors. Yet, the book doesn’t just detail dry legal history, it dives deep into vivid and surprising details of the relationship between ordinary Egyptians, and a state moving towards modernization. It goes beyond traditional narratives to offer a story that begins from the bottom up — beginning with the everyday people impacted by law, politics, and medicine.

How does one even come across 19th century Egypt? Through analyzing court archives, police reports, and medical records, Fahmy is able to reconstruct the details of judicial life in 19th century Cairo. The author paints a picture of courtrooms, prison cells, and the kind of medicine through which Egyptians might have been found guilty. The book details strange cases that reveal the nature of this relationship and the changes it underwent, such as the man who feigned madness to escape imprisonment, undergoing a peculiar medical procedure straight out of a comedy special, and the initial introduction of forensic medicine — and Egyptians’ subsequent refusal of it.

Fahmy excels at capturing the tension between the state’s obsession with control, and its people’s unpredictable stubbornness. In one incident, authorities insisted on performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death, which sparked outrage as it was considered a violation of the sanctity of the dead. However, this rejection didn’t last, seeing as the public realized they could exploit autopsies to prove innocence, claim compensation, or expose abuse. Scientific evidence thus became a weapon in the hands of the marginalised.

The book isn’t just a study on 19th century Egypt, it poses pivotal questions that go beyond time and place. Who holds the right to define justice? How should it be practiced? Written in a manner that is both narratively engaging and research-heavy, Khaled Fahmy turns archival documents into a human drama, proving that every cry in the courtroom, every forged document, and every protest against injustice has had an impact on shaping our present.

WHERE TO FIND IT- You can find In Quest of Justice as an e-book on Amazon. The Arabic version is also available at Aseer Al Kotob, ShoroukBookstores, Diwan, and online on Nile Wa Furat.

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