0.5 Taking the “souvenir of egypt” research project to the next  (Page 2/4)

The brainstorm

Good history usually begins with good questions. First, we will simply sit, reflect on the work we have done so far and allow our brains to unload all ofthe nagging questions we have collected onto paper. In other words, we will brainstorm. Brainstorming is simply a free-writingexercise in which we review what we have done so far and write down every question or idea that we have with as little organizational constraint as possible. Thispillaging of our minds for any and all questions is one of the most productive ways to discover what is about our research that truly interests us. Here, we will divideours into the categories of Political History questions and Material Cultural questions, just to put some descriptive and, hopefully, productive parameters aroundwhere we are headed with them.

Material culture questions

-Who was the intended consumer of such a product?

-What sentimental significance would such a souvenir have?

-What can the existence of such a souvenir tell us about the kinds of experiences Europeans were having or expected to have while in Egypt?

-Were there tourists in Egypt at this time?

-Was there a culture of tourism in Britain?

-What do the depictions of the flags and leaders indicate about national identity at this time?

-What kind of aesthetic relationship can we discern between the images of exotic labor and the ring of world leaders and national flags?

Political history questions

-What events in this history of the region whose flag we are considering prompted the change in the design of its flag?

-Under what circumstances was the design of the flag altered in subtle ways, such as the addition of a crest or symbol, and in what circumstances was itchanged in more significant ways, such as the shift from a solid color to a series of colored stripes?

-Who is traditionally responsible for initiating or authorizing changes in the design of the flag? Has this position changed over time, from a King to aPrime Minister for example?

-What do design changes generally indicate about the political or social changes the region itself is going through at the time?

-What is the significance of the symbols, colors, or other aspects of the design culturally? Do they have specific functions or meanings in the daily lives ofthe people of the region?

-What is going on in the regions mentioned during the period of the silk’s production? Is there a historical relationship between the regions? How doesEgypt fit into the story of Britain’s history, and vice versa?

-How do the other elements of the imagery relate to each region, such as the texts or abstractimagery? Is the indication of an “alliance” and a possible “victory” in the Arabic text, forexample, suggestive of a shared military endeavor between England and Egypt?

-At what point in history were all of these regions and leaders represented in the silk involved with one another in ways that would initiate theproduction of such an image?