The construction of ethnic self and other played a central role in ancient Egyptian ideology as well as at a more quotidian level. Ethnic groups are usually seen as self-defined, distinctive entities, often corresponding neatly to political or cultural units, but in reality, expressions of ethnic identity are mutable and socially contingent. Adopting a multi-scalar approach informed by practice theory, this paper examines ancient Egyptian constructions of ethnicity, taking into account ideological and elite expressions of ethnic identity from art and texts and everyday practices revealed by archaeology. A carefully contextualized analysis shows how pejorative constructions of an ethnic other by the state contrast with more positive interactions and patterns of mutual influence at a more individual level.

种族自我和其他人的建构在古埃及的意识形态以及更为日常的思想中起着核心作用。种族群体通常被视为自定义的，独特的实体，通常与政治或文化单位整齐地对应，但实际上，种族认同的表达是易变的且在社会上是偶然的。本文采用实践理论为基础的多尺度方法，考察了古埃及的种族结构，并从考古学揭示的艺术，文本和日常实践中考虑了民族认同的意识形态和精英表现形式。仔细的语境分析表明，国家对其他民族的贬义性建构与更积极的互动和相互影响的模式在个人层面上形成了鲜明的对比。