Ethnicity, Egypt

Abstract

Ethnicity acted in complex ways in ancient Egypt, playing out differently in various social contexts. Ethnicity is usually characterized as unchanging, a group identity acquired at birth, but is in fact surprisingly mutable and socially contingent. Informed by practice theory and adopting a multi scalar approach, this paper discusses ancient Egyptian constructions of ethnic identity reflected in texts, art, and the everyday practices revealed by archaeology. A nuanced study along these lines documents how negative representations of self and “other” in the state ideology contrast with more positive and affirmative assertions of ethnic identity revealed in art and archaeology.