Routledge Handbook on Contemporary Egypt

Description

Investigating key features of contemporary Egypt, this volume includes Egypt’s modern history, politics, economics, the legal system, environment, and its media and modes of cultural expression. It examines Egypt’s capacities to meet developmental challenges, ranging from responding to globalization and regional competition to generating sufficient economic growth and political inclusion to accommodate the interests and demands of a rapidly growing population. The macrohistory of Egypt is complemented by the microhistories of specific institutions and processes that constitute separate sections in this handbook. The chapters revolve around political economy: it is shaped by the people and their abilities, political and legal institutions, organization of the economy, natural and built environments, and culture and communication. Politics has been overwhelmingly authoritarian and coercive since the military seized power in 1952; consequently, the contributions address both the causes and consequences of unbalanced civil–military relations, military rule, and persisting authoritarianism in the political society. This multidisciplinary handbook serves a dual purpose of introducing readers to Egypt’s history and contemporary political economy and as a comprehensive key resource for postgraduate students and academics interested in modern Egypt. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of contents Contributors Introduction Part I History Introduction: Occupation, independence, revolution Occupation Independence with reservations: The settlement of 1923 The coming revolution The coercive state Sadat as president The long Mubarak presidency Conclusion References 1 Building the Egyptian state? Infrastructural systems, education, and urbanization (1919–2011) Introduction Infrastructure Water and sewerage systems Transportation and rail networks Education Conclusion Notes References 2 The ideological roots of authoritarianism in Egypt Introduction The ambivalence of liberalism Social citizenship and its contenders Social freedom under Nasser Sadat’s corrective revolution Conclusion References 3 Egypt’s foreign policy from Faruq to Mubarak Introduction Foreign policy in the liberal era Nasser’s revolutionary foreign policy Sadat’s “electric-shock” foreign policy Mubarak’s foreign policy Notes References 4 Activism and contentious politics in Egypt: The case of the student movement Introduction The early stages of student activism Student activism under Nasser: The peak of influence? Sadat and a new wave of student activism Student activism under Mubarak The rise and fall of student activism post-January 25 Student activism as viewed by others Increased restrictions on student activism Towards a “reformist” approach Connecting the student movement to a broader policy toward youth Conclusion Notes References 5 Framing the past: Historian, state and society Introduction Development of the profession The royalist school The academic tradition Beyond the academy State authority and historical scholarship A gendered perspective The constraint of the archive Documenting the January Revolution Conclusion Notes References Part II Politics Introduction: The evolution of military rule in Egypt Nasser and the Free Officers Naguib and Nasser: 1952–1954 Nasser and Amer: 1954–1967 Sadat Shifting the centers of power Building a party of patronage Foreign friends and police partners Planting the seeds of Military Inc. Mubarak Abu Ghazala: 1981–1989 Tantawi and ERSAP: 1991– 2000 Gamal and friends: 2000– 2011 Revolution and counterrevolution: 2011–2019 Conclusion Note References 6 Genesis of coup-proofing in Egypt: Civil–military relations under King Faruq and beyond Introduction Faruq’s coup-proofing Fostering ideological bonds with the throne Promoting the material interests of the military elite Counterbalancing Beyond Faruq: Coup-proofing under Nasser Fostering ideological bonds Promoting material interests Counterbalancing Conclusion References 7 The fingers of the “invisible hand”: Egypt’s government institutions Introduction Egypt’s government institutions under EAF control The national level: Constitutional stipulations versus political realities The presidency The ministries Parliament Judiciary The local level: Much of the same Conclusion References 8 Islamism in Egypt Introduction State institutions: Al-Azhar, Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, and Awqaf The Muslim Brotherhood Salafists: The ambivalent revolutionaries Islamists and religious minorities Conclusion Notes References 9 Civil society and revolution (2000–present) Introduction A new face for civil society in Egypt (2000–2011) 2011 Uprisings: Civil society and the capture of the public space The crackdown begins: The NGO Trial and Case 173/2011 Surviving repression in Sisi’s Egypt: The post-2013 order Conclusion Notes References 10 Egypt’s post-uprising foreign policy Introduction Foreign policy under the Muslim Brotherhood Counterrevolutionary foreign policy Conclusions Note References Part III Economy Introduction: A brief history of nation, state, and market Framing of the discussion History: Top-down modernization Economic nationalism intensifying The 1970s: A shift to the right Redefinition of state–economy relations The reemergence of an Egyptian bourgeoisie A not-so-successful case of integration 2011: A revolution without rupture Conclusion and section structure References 11 State–business relations in neoliberal Egypt: The global political economy of subordinate integration Introduction Neoliberal reforms and crony capitalism Recovering the ‘global’ in the political economy of reforms State–business relations under conditions of subordinate integration Hollowing out of state power Transformation and subordination in the business community The rise of the Gulf Conclusion Note References 12 Why Egypt’s trade policy failed to improve its external competitiveness Introduction Historical Background Overview of Egypt’s trade Exports and imports by destination Egypt’s exports and imports by product Potential explanations Industrial policy and domestic business environment Shallow trade agreements Low tariffs but distorting nontariff measures Behind the border constraints Lack of value chains Conclusion Notes References 13 Egypt’s foreign direct investment regime: Evolution and limitations Introduction Launching the neoliberal era The second wave of investment liberalisation measures under Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment Programme (ERSAP): 1990–2 January 2011 revolution signals the failure of the neoliberal model and exposes Egypt to the implications of its BITs BITs ‘bite’: Egypt’s first realisation of the negative implications of BITs Egypt resisting the tides of change BITs restricting Egypt’s regulatory space post-2011: Theory and practice Fair and equitable treatment Expropriation Other substantive clauses and limitations by BITs Arbitration costs and the regulatory chill effect Maintaining the status quo post-2011 Conclusion Notes References 14 The political economy of workers’ remittances in Egypt Introduction Organization of the chapter Demography, labor market, and development Demography The Egyptian labor force Development as a policy strategy Egyptian emigration at a glance Volume and distribution of Egyptian labor migration Work permits issued for Egyptians to work abroad Migration and Remittances Level and trends of remittances Per capita remittances Origin of remittances Informal and in-kind remittances The macrolevel impact of remittances Impact of remittances on poverty alleviation Impact of labor emigration on the Egyptian labor market Sociocultural impact of migration Conclusions Notes References 15 Encroachments: Land, power and predation Introduction Agricultural land: privilege and dispossession Urban land: revenge of the subaltern Mega-projects in the desert Disputed spaces Conclusion Notes References Part IV Law and human rights Introduction: Law, courts, and human rights Law in Egyptian statecraft The ebb and flow of judicial power Engaging the courts Regime retrenchment Rupture Notes References 16 Judges, elections, and constitutional politics after the 2011 Revolution Introduction Law, courts, and the Egyptian revolution Parliamentary elections and the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammad Morsi and the permanent constitution From crisis to catastrophe Conclusion Notes References 17 Lawyers and politics Lawyering and counter-lawyering in Egypt Introduction Lawyers that matter and lawyering that politicizes The ultimate paradox of 2011: Revolutionary but legal From the street to the courtroom: Are lawyers killing our radical politics? Everyday lawyering, everyday politics Lawyering to discipline and punish Conclusion Notes References 18 Law, exceptional courts and revolution in modern Egypt Introduction A brief history of dualism and exception in Egypt The birth of utilitarian normativity Shaping the dual state through the state of exception The long autumn of the normative state The political economy of law and exception A revolution against the omnipresent state Counter-revolution, counterterrorism and the state of indistinction: Mandating the securocrats Jurisprudence: From the state of exception to the state of indistinction From administrative detention to unlimited pre-trial detention Ordinary judicial chambers with an implicit emergency mandate Conclusion References 19 The Egyptian human rights movement: Between political autonomy and accommodation of authoritarianism Introduction Contemporary echoes of the struggles of inception Institutionalizing HRNGOs The agenda of state and society Against accommodating authoritarianism Conclusion Notes References Part V Natural and built environments Introduction: Visions and realities of the struggle for development Introduction Natural environment and biodiversity Built environment and urban development Heritage preservation Forthcoming chapters Emerging themes The stresses of population growth Overlapping governance Capital allocation and policy pressures Conclusion References 20 Sustainable water resource management in Egypt Introduction Egypt’s water resources Water management after the High Aswan Dam National Water Resource Plans Adapting to climate change Conclusion References 21 Egypt’s conflicting urbanism: Informality versus new desert development Introduction Cities in the desert History and scale of new desert cities New desert cities: Attracting the poor? The persistence of informality Types of informal areas in Egypt State relationship with informal areas Conclusion: Beyond policy Notes References 22 Livability of Egyptian cities Introduction Urban development Environment Challenges in Egypt’s urban areas Egypt’s new cities Aspects of failure in new cities The case of Al-Rehab City The future of Egypt’s cities Notes References 23 The cultural heritage of Egypt’s cities: Burden or resource? Introduction Pre-modern views of heritage A modern understanding of heritage The Comité de Conservation: The first governmental entity charged with preserving Islamic heritage Legislation protecting Islamic heritage Collaborative efforts to identify heritage, develop a management policy and execute it Governmental attempts to deal with heritage on an urban level at the turn of the 21st century Overlapping jurisdiction and contradictory laws The case of Luxor Egyptian-led non-governmental efforts for the management of heritage Conclusion Notes References Part VI Media and popular culture Introduction: Divergent trajectories of creativity and coercion Regional rivalry and conflict Issues of representation: Migrants, minors, and media irresponsibility Contradictions in law and practice Resourceful resistance References 24 The culture police: Manning the barricades of allowable art and culture Introduction Militarism, sex, religion and politics A culture for the revolution: Third worldism and the tutelary state Cultural Islamism and the syndication of culture Mubarak’s faux secularism and the ultimate act of silencing The culture police Conclusion Note References 25 Media ownership in Egypt (2000–2020): Categories and configurations Introduction New owners and their fluctuating relations with the regime Investment imperatives and media openings under Mubarak A short-lived reshuffling of outlets and investors post-2011 Media under Sisi: Stretching the meaning of “private” Conclusion References 26 Tweeting the revolution: The evolution of social media use in Egypt’s turbulent times Introduction Blogging and YouTube: A timely symbiosis The participatory culture and networked leadership of Facebook pages Twitter, high hopes and multi-media interactions Web users squeezed by government and tech giants Conclusion References 27 Ring-fenced religion? Egypt’s religious media between faith and politics Introduction Religion, media and national identity Muslim Brotherhood media Salafi media Christian media Conclusion Funding References 28 Cooperativism, revolution and the ‘digital turn’: Assessing recent Egyptian film collectives Introduction Collective action in the arts Deviation or continuation? Alternative film cultures An inclusive, pluralist and decentralising spirit Conclusion References 29 The rise of indie music from the heart of Tahrir Square: Politics and popular music in Egypt Introduction Young listeners and digital media Popular songs and national projects: Historical background Pre-digital platforms: Monopolies and the mainstream The commercial era: The 1990s and 2000s Reviving musical opposition post-2011 Generational and topic divides between digital and other platforms Conclusion References Index