![]() ![]() What do you hope people take away from the book? We’re just as superstitious and god fearing.Īll those vulnerabilities make us very, very easy marks for authoritarian regimes if we don’t think critically and understand the tools they are wielding over us. We’re still just as prone to the fears of an early death or a lack of prosperity. We may tell ourselves we’re too smart to be fooled, but the idea of modern exceptionalism is a fake-out. That’s the underlying idea that needs to be popped first, because we still buy into it today.” “Pharaohs were arguably the best ever at presenting an authoritarian regime as good and pure and moral. Concepts of patriarchal society, extraction of natural resources for profit, exploitation, overwork, misogyny and more all came pouring out of the Egyptian narrative. ![]() ![]() That’s the underlying idea that needs to be popped first, because we still buy into it today. The hard thing is that the pharaohs were arguably the best ever at presenting an authoritarian regime as good and pure and moral. Pharaohs open themselves up to social justice discussions. Why are the pharaohs of ancient Egypt still so relevant thousands of years later? In an interview with UCLA Newsroom, she talks about what lessons ancient Egyptian narratives might offer in light of the societal and social challenges the world faces in 2021. Only this time, she notes, climate change has altered the rules of recovery.Ĭooney is chair of UCLA’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. In it, Cooney describes how the pharaohs created a compelling moral argument for power that continues to mislead people today, and which is linked directly to the current rise of authoritarianism.Ĭooney explores the pitfalls of patriarchal systems that harm women and men alike, and she convincingly argues that society is duplicating the historical patterns that have repeatedly led to power collapses. “The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World,” published by National Geographic, draws direct parallels between the rulers of 3,000 years ago and modern tyrants. “How many of us have had deep obsessions with the ancient world - I just love Egyptian temples! I adore Greek mythology! - that are really symptoms of an ongoing addiction to male power that we just can’t kick?” Cooney writes. ” The uncritical admiration of the pharaohs that has continued to the present day, she writes, is a legacy of the ancient rulers’ efforts to manipulate how they were perceived, and has even served as a narrative and cultural foundation propping up modern authoritarianism. In her latest book, she admits that her fascination with ancient Egypt has soured - so much so that she now describes herself as a “recovering Egyptologist. Pyramids, pharaohs and ancient Egyptian gods have entranced many, but it’s time we stopped romanticizing the trappings of authoritarianism, according to UCLA’s Kara Cooney.Ĭooney is a UCLA professor of Egyptology and archaeology and already a bestselling author (“The Woman Who Would Be King,” 2014, and “When Women Ruled the World,” 2019). ![]()
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