Egypt: The Moment of Change

by Rabab El-Mahdi (Editor), Philip Marfleet (Editor)

Egypt is at the axis of the Arab world. With the largest population, the largest industrial economy and the longest tradition of modern political activity it has profound influence across the region. But there have been few attempts to understand contemporary Egyptian society, in particular growing internal pressures for change and their implications for the Middle East and the wider world.

This book is the first for over 20 years to offer and accessible examination of contemporary issues in Egypt. It offers the reader analyses of its politics, culture and society, including contributions by several Egyptian academics and activists. This unique new book addresses the turmoil created by imposition of neo-liberal economic policies, the increasingly fragile nature of an authoritarian regime, the influence of movements for democratic opening and popular participation, and the impacts of Islamism. The authors argue that Egypt has entered a period of instability during which the 'low-intensity democracy' embraced by the Mubarak regime faces multiple challenges, including demands for radical change. This unique new book assesses the ability of the state to resist the new movements and the latters' capacity to fulfill their aims.

Genres: Middle East, Politics, Egypt, Social Movements

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2009

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book, written before the "Arab Spring" (or the African awakenings), provides valuable insights into broader underpinnings of exploitation, resistance and regime crackdown. Contrary to the narrative that the "Arab Spring" was relatively spontaneous and driven by social networking capabilities, this book shows how workers and others (including the oft-transformed Muslim Brotherhood) have been building resistance over the course of many years in the face of internationally tolerated and indeed facilitated regime violence. Thus, the book provides important prompts to study away from the mainstream narratives. El-Mahdi and Marfleet end by arguing that the book "tried to understand Egypt as part of the Global South..." As such, this book provides a good complement to the more recent book Social Movements in the Global South: Dispossession, Development and Resistance.

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays were clearly more interesting than others (torture > land reform any day) but they were all concise and well-written (roughly 15 pages each) and each offered a different way to see the inevitability of the 2011 revolution. Though it was written in 2009, it has some amazing foresight.