Researching the Historicity of Democracy in Ottoman Egypt

Robin Schmahl is a research fellow at ZMO and a PhD-candidate at Freie Universität Berlin. Being part of the international research network 'Historicity of Democracy in the Arab and Muslim Worlds' (HISDEMAB), his main research focus is Ottoman Egypt. Which deliberation practices during the French occupation can be traced back and what does deliberation mean in this context? What makes the approach of “historicity” unique as opposed to simply looking at the history of democracy in the region? Robin also shares his archival research experiences in Europe and the Middle East, reflecting on the material’s languages and his positionality as a researcher. The episode is moderated by Lena Herzog-Sounaye, ZMO’s former knowledge transfer officer.