Les Arméniens en Égypte au xixe siècle, identité et enregistrement

Abstract

Most Armenians living in Egypt in the early nineteenth century are recent immigrants, and the community they belong to is the main autorithy which would validate their identity. From 1864 onwards, the community administration develops a highly efficient registry system: uniform registration, limited number of entries, mandatory use of a family name. Before then, individuals had to officially define themselves mainly on the occasion of baptisms, marriages and burials, and without using a set framework. This article focuses on this earlier stage of registration, which shows considerable variation between individual cases. In the absence of standardized family names, individuals were defined through a combination of elements which were added to their name, and expressed criteria such as their relationship with other people - relatives, friends, coworkers -, personal practices – the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for instance -or known titles and social status. These variations allow insights into the functioning of a local society which became less visible after 1864.

Keywords

• Armenians
• Jabartî
• Muḥammad Alî
• nineteenth century
• identities
• registration