Between Cosmopolitanism and Nationalism

Abstract

The history of interwar Alexandria illustrates the difficulties associated with maintaining liberal stability in colonial cosmopolitan societies. While Europeans and those of European descent became closely integrated into the economy and social life of the city, political integration was much more problematic. Despite a tolerant political environment with little local community tension, the separate national customs and institutions that gave the city its unique flavor and character were vulnerable to extremist political exploitation, particularly at a time of international tension and economic contraction. Liberal Alexandria was therefore already dying before the nationalist and socialist policies of the Nasser regime.