The construction of the Aswan High Dam was a major step forward in Egypt's development, following the establishment of the republic in 1952. The overall plan required engineering expertise to build the dam and related works, but it was also a social experiment, transforming the lives of the displaced Nubians and bringing them into a different relationship with the Egyptian state and the world economy. This book approaches this development process, examining the efforts of social scientists affiliated with the American University in Cairo's Social Research Center (SRC) to record Nubian culture before the relocation, track the transfer, provide advice to those responsible for the resettlement, and offer a baseline for future research. This book consists of five parts: the introduction to set the background, a detailed account of the research process, a discussion of the follow-up efforts to the project, and a selection of material displaying the research results.