Allam - Women and the Egyptian revolution engagement and activism during the 2011 Arab uprisings

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Nermin Allam 2018

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First published 2018

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Mom, you are my rock.

These acknowledgments cannot do justice to the deep gratitude I have for my family, mentors, and friends without whom this journey would have been impossible. I thank Dr. Yasmeen Abu-Laban for many years of valuable mentorship, sincere advice, and enlightened conversation. There are simply no words to express my gratitude for her enduring support. She has given me a model to strive for. This book could not have been possible without her.

I am also greatly indebted to Dr. Amaney Jamal, whose expertise and unequivocal support were invaluable to this academic exercise. I am also deeply grateful for my time as a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University. The fellowship gave me access to a wonderful community of scholars and intellectuals. My thanks go to Dr. Amaney Jamal, Dr. Mark R. Beissinger, and Dr. Nolan McCarty. Elizabeth Nugent, Killian Clarke, Dan Tavana, and Peace Medie are amazing colleagues.

The Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta, my home during postgraduate studies, will always have a special place in my heart. My people there, the faculty, staff, and colleagues, were and continue to be lifelong friends and mentors. Many thanks to Dr. Janine Brodie, Dr. Andy Knight, Dr. Lois Harder, Dr. Judith Garber, Dr. Robert Aitken, Dr. Mojtaba Mahdavi, Dr. Malinda Smith, Dr. Cressida Heyes, Dr. Roger Epp, and Dr. Ian Urquhart. I am beyond grateful to Siavash Saffari for sharing his knowledge and experience, and to Sevan Beukian, Nathan Andrews, Ghada Asaad, Nisha Nath, Mariam Georgis, Hajar Amidian, Nicole Lugosi, and Anya Kuteleva for their precious friendship.

Dr. Bessma Momani offered many thoughtful comments and insightful suggestions and the book has benefited tremendously from her feedback, as it has from the feedback of the two reviewers for Cambridge University Press. Many thanks to Dr. Jacqueline French for her meticulous editing of the text. After numerous reads and several edits, the errors that linger are my own. Thanks are also due to Dr. Lisa Wedeen, Dr. Nathan Brown, Dr. Wendy Pearlman, Dr. Manal Jamal, Dr. Jill Schwedler, and Dr. Marc Lynch, who were generous enough to read sections of this book and related works. I must also thank Dr. Sarah Parkinson who through her lively conversation, sincere advice, and precious friendship continues to inspire me.

I have been fortunate to receive generous financial support from the University of Alberta, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the American Political Science Association (APSA) that ensured I was able to fully concentrate on my research. I am also thankful to the International Development Research Council (IDRC) for offering me a Doctoral Research Grant that supported my fieldwork in Egypt.

Thanks to my participants and interviewees for sharing their time and heartfelt stories. They gave life to the theories behind this project. Without their generosity and support, this research would never have come to fruition. Their passion is contagious and the work they are doing has indeed inspired me.

I am also deeply grateful for my time as a Research Fellow at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The vibrant intellectual community at the AUC provided invaluable feedback and insight. I am grateful to Dr. Martina Rieker, Dr. Mona Amer, Dr. Ghada Barsoum, and Dr. Nadine Sika for the enlightened conversations. It has been a privilege knowing my professor, Dr. Bahgat Korany, who has shared his knowledge, wisdom, and experience. I cannot overstate the extent to which he has shaped the ways in which I see the politics of Egypt and how I write about it.

Thanks go to my Aunt Paula and Uncle Ahmed: they were truly my family and kept me motivated through all the ups and downs. Also to my childhood friends, Dina Aboughazala and Mai Abdel Rahman, whose love, support, and understanding when I failed to call, write, or visit have carried me through. Although we span three continents, their support throughout my study and research has been unequivocal.

Laila, my beautiful niece aka Cairo-based daughter has always been on my mind and in my heart, despite the missed birthdays, school concerts, and not always being there for her. Thanks go to my biggest cheer-leader, my sister, Nihal Allam, for telling me I was bright enough to do well on this path and for carrying on doing that until I finally started to believe it. I am grateful to Ahmed, a friend and soulmate, who for the past five years has given me unwavering support and shown a fascinated interest in my research. His humor, support, and encouragement have helped me beyond words.