"Automatization and the Value of Skill - Wages in A Sugar Factory in 19th-Century Egypt"

This paper contributes to the global history of capitalism and technology in rural contexts, examining the impact of agro-industrial automation on wage structures in African rural communities through a case study of a sugar factory in 19th-century Egypt. Utilizing approximately fifty wage registers from the Rawda factory in Middle Egypt, dating from 1849 to 1903 and now preserved in the Egyptian National Archives, the study offers a detailed analysis of wage trends over this fifty-year period. By focusing on the monthly wages of various labor categories—ranging from European and local engineers to factory supervisors and, notably, accountants involved in sugar production—this research traces shifts in the value of skilled labor. Preliminary findings suggest a decline in the relative value of skill over time, with technological innovation or labor shortages serving as key factors in any subsequent increases in skill valuation.