In this Ph. D. thesis I am examining processes of cultural exchange which took place in the influence sphere of European-protestant missionary institutions. This study focuses on the field of those charitable and ecclesiastical institutions which were active in Egypt in the first half of the twentieth century. Based on the concept of "entangled histories" (Shalini Randeria), relations and interactions are regarded as formative for both the indigenous peo-ple and the Europeans. Therefore, the perceptions and experiences of the natives are equally studied along with western sources. These are mainly found in the archives of the British "Egypt General Mission", of the "English Mission College" and of the German "Sudan-Pionier-Mission". Oral History interviews with former students and employees are the basis for the research on the Egyptian view on the mission. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the theory of cultural exchange. For that pur-pose three aspects of cultural exchange processes are examined. Firstly, the results of these processes are described. I am particularly focusing on the history of mentalities and aspects of micro-history. Secondly, functionalities of cultural exchange are studied: How do proc-esses of intermediation, adoption and transformation of cultural elements work? Eventually, I am discussing the conditions under which exchange processes actually happened and why certain cultural elements have been adopted or refused. Besides the description of the products and modes of operation, an essential aspect of my research project is to explain processes of cultural exchange in the field of missionary institutions.
