Egypts Long Revolution
The millions of Egyptians who returned to the heart of Cairo and Egypts other major cities for 18 days until the eventual toppling of the Mubarak regime were orderly without an organisation, inspired without a leader, and single-minded without one guiding political ideology. This book examines the decade long of protest movements which created the context for the January 2011 mass uprising. It tells the story of Egypts long revolutionary process by exploring its genealogy in the decade before 25 January 2011and tracing its development in the three years that have followed.
The book analyses new forms of political mobilisation that arose in response to ever-increasing grievances against authoritarian politics, deteriorating living conditions for the majority of Egyptians as a consequence of neo-liberal policies and the machinery of crony capitalism, and an almost total abandoning by the state of its responsibilities to society at large. It argues that the increasing societal pressures from different quarters such as labour groups, pro-democracy movements and ordinary citizens during this period culminated in an intensifying culture of protest and activism that was vital in the lead up to the dramatic overthrow of Mubarak. It, also, argues that the features of these new forms of activism and political mobilisation have contributed to shaping the political process since the downfall of Mubarak.
Based on research undertaken since 2002, Egypts Long Revolution is an essential resource for scholars and researchers with an interest in social movements, comparative politics and Middle East Politics in general.
Maha Abdelrahman is a Lecturer at the Centre of Development Studies and the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. Among her publications are Civil Society Exposed: The Politics of NGOs in Egypt, (2004), The Transnational and the Local: Egyptian Activists and Transnational Protest Networks, British Journal of Middle East Studies (2011). NGOs and the Dynamics of the Egyptian Labour Market Development in Practice (2007), The Nationalization of the Human Rights Debate in Egypt Nations and Nationalism (2007).
Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government
Edited by Larbi Sadiki
University of Exeter
This series examines new ways of understanding democratization and government in the Middle East. The varied and uneven processes of change, occurring in the Middle Eastern region, can no longer be read and interpreted solely through the prism of Euro-American transitology. Seeking to frame critical parameters in light of these new horizons, this series instigates reinterpretations of democracy and propagates formerly subaltern narratives of democratization. Reinvigorating discussion on how Arab and Middle Eastern peoples and societies seek good government, Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government provides tests and contests of old and new assumptions.
1 Revolution, Revolt and Reform in North Africa
The Arab Spring and Beyond
Edited by Ricardo Ren Larmont
2 Informal Power in the Greater Middle East
Hidden Geographies
Edited by Luca Anceschi, Gennaro Gervasio and Andrea Teti
3 Crowds and Politics in North Africa
Tunisia, Algeria and Libya
Andrea Khalil
4 Egypts Long Revolution
Protest Movements and Uprisings
Maha Abdelrahman
Egypts Long Revolution
Protest Movements and Uprisings
Maha Abdelrahman
First published 2015
by Routledge
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2015 Maha Abdelrahman
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ISBN: 978-0-415-63304-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-76226-5 (ebk)
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Contents
This book examines Egypts revolutionary process. Like this process, it has been long in the making. The idea for the book project started in the second part of the 2000s with the aim of analysing the protests and movements that were gaining momentum in the streets, factories, offices, universities and rural areas of Egypt. In the course of realising this project, momentous events overtook Egypt and the books range was extended to keep up not only with the breath-taking uprising of 2011, but the three turbulent years that followed. For several years, the writing of this book went through different stages not dissimilar to those of its subject matter: moments of soaring elation, periods of uncertainty and self-doubt, instances of retreat and dark days of potential defeat but always the knowledge that its completion relies on the sustenance of a great many people.
I am hugely indebted to the generosity and time of many friends and activists who shared their direct experiences, knowledge and enthusiasm for change with me over many hours of interviews over the years. They are too many to mention by name but I particularly want to thank Wael Khalil and Rabab El-Mahdi.
Some friends have read earlier draft chapters of this book and their feedback and support was invaluable. I want to thank Gilbert Achcar and Ray Bush for their useful comments and their unfailing support. Needless to say, the book would have been a great deal better had I listened more to their and other friends comments.
I want to thank Kat Rylance and the rest of the editorial team at Routledge for overseeing the whole production process.
The Centre of Development Studies at the University of Cambridge was my intellectual home during the writing of this book. I am grateful to many there for their support and collegiality especially Ha-Joon Chang, Shailaja Fennell, Diana Kazemi and Peter Nolan. I am eternally indebted to my colleague Glen Rangwala from POLIS for walking into my office one day in January 2011, when he offered to teach my lectures while I headed off to Tahrir.
The intellectual and emotional support of so many friends in the Netherlands, UK and Egypt kept me going through the difficult task of writing this book that took place mostly away from Egypt which added to the emotional strain of the exercise. They are too many to name but I want to thank my Cairo friends Lamia Bulbul, Iman Hamdy, Malak Rouchdy, Reem Saad and Hanan Sabea for a wide range of support from book project discussions to actually not asking how the book was going and everything in between.
