Whatever Happened to the Egyptian Revolution?


Book Description

In his latest exploration of the Egyptian malaise, Galal Amin first looks at the events of the months preceding the Revolution of 25 January 2011, pointing out the most important factors behind popular discontent. He then follows the ups and downs (mainly the downs) of the Revolution: the causes of rising hopes and expectations, mingled with successive disappointments, sometimes verging on despair, not least in the case of the presidential elections, when the Egyptian people were invited to choose between a rock and a hard place. This is followed by an outline of a possible brighter future for Egypt, based on a more balanced and faster growing economy, and a more democratic and equitable society, within a truly independent, modern, and secular state. The story of what happened to the 2011 Revolution may be a sad one, but if viewed within the larger context of Egypt's economic and social developments of the last century, on which the author's previous books threw very useful light, it can be regarded as one important step forward toward a much better future.




Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?


Book Description

The 'missing link,' Amin argues, lies in the social mobility unleashed by the July Revolution of 1952, which has changed the customs and habits, moral and material values, and patterns of consumption and investment of the aspiring classes, and has, furthermore, induced the Egyptian people to ignore national and ideological issues of grave importance."--BOOK JACKET.




Whatever Else Happened to the Egyptians?


Book Description

At the time of the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, the population of Egypt was around 22 million. At the end of 2002, it stood at 69 million, and was growing at a rate of 1.33 million a year. What happens to a society that grows so quickly, when the habitable and cultivable land of the country is strictly limited? After the success of Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?, Galal Amin now takes a further bemused look at the changes that have taken place in Egyptian society over the past half century, this time considering the disruptions brought about by the surge in population. Basing his arguments on both academic research and his own personal experiences and impressions, and employing the same light humor and keen sense of empathy as in his earlier work, the author discusses how runaway population growth has not only profound effects on many aspects of society--from love and fashion to telephones, the supermarket, and religion--but also predictable effects on the economy.




Revolution as a Process


Book Description

As Egyptian society stands at a point of extreme polarization, this book about the Egyptian Revolution makes an important contribution to current debates about the Arab uprisings by bringing together theoretical and practitioner’s perspectives. The clear aim of this edited volume of the series Contemporary Studies on the MENA Region is not to construct a singular narrative about the revolution but rather to highlight the multiplicity and complexity of perspectives and theoretical lenses. Consequently, this book brings together authors from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, from the Middle East and the Global North, to raise their voices. This publication addresses scholars of the social sciences, peace and conflict research as well as anyone interested indeveloping a better understanding of the political situation in Egypt. “It is rather easy to say no to a dictator, a ruler or a political system, but it is exhausting to build a new society. This requires the constant effort of dedicated generations. [...] This book embraces not a master plan for a better future but it reflects from where this splendid young generation has to start anyway, the thorny challenges that are waiting for them on their path, the uncertainty of social or political reward.” – Professor DDr. Wolfgang Dietrich, Director, UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies, University of Innsbruck Adham Hamed is a Cairo-based peace and conflict researcher. In his work he focuses on transrational peace philosophy and elicitive conflict transformation as it has been developed at the Innsbruck School of Peace Studies.




Egypt in the Era of Hosni Mubarak


Book Description

Galal Amin once again turns his attention to the shaping of Egyptian society and the Egyptian state in the half-century and more that has elapsed since the Nasserite revolution, this time focusing on the era of President Mubarak. He looks at corruption, poverty, the plight of the middle class, and of course, the economy, and directs his penetrating gaze toward the Mubarak regime's uneasy relationship with the relatively free press it encouraged, the vexing issue of presidential succession, and Egypt's relations with the Arab world and the United States. Addressing such themes from the perspective of an active participant in Egyptian intellectual life throughout the era, Galal Amin portrays the Mubarak regime's stance in the domestic and international arenas as very much a product of history, which, while not exonerating the regime, certainly helps to explain it.







Democracy is the Answer


Book Description

As the Egyptian revolution unfolded throughout 2011 and the ensuing years, no one was better positioned to comment on it—and try to push it in productive directions—than best-selling novelist and political commentator Alaa Al-Aswany. For years a leading critic of the Mubarak regime, Al-Aswany used his weekly newspaper column for Al-Masry Al-Youm to propound the revolution’s ideals and to confront the increasingly troubled politics of its aftermath. This book presents, for the first time in English, all of Al-Aswany’s columns from the period, a comprehensive account of the turmoil of the post-revolutionary years, and a portrait of a country and a people in flux. Each column is presented along with a context-setting introduction, as well as notes and a glossary, all designed to give non-Egyptian readers the background they need to understand the events and figures that Al-Aswany chronicles. The result is a definitive portrait of Egypt today—how it got here, and where it might be headed.







Translating Egypt's Revolution


Book Description

The contributors to this volume have selectively translated chants, banners, jokes, poems, and interviews, as well as presidential speeches and military communiqués. Their practical translation work is informed by the cultural turn in translation studies and the nuanced role of the translator as negotiator between texts and cultures. The chapters focus on the relationship between translation and semiotics, issues of fidelity and equivalence, creative transformation and rewriting, and the issue of target readership.--Publisher description.




Inside Egypt


Book Description

Inside Egypt was banned by the Egyptian governmentin 2008, the first time a book on Egyptian politics had been banned in the country in decades. This updated edition reveals why Egypt was vulnerable to a popular uprising and how it could lead to an Iranian-style theocracy in a country once noted for its plurality and tolerance.