DOCSLIB.ORG

The Journey of Liberalism in Egypt in the Twentieth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The University of Utah: J. Willard Marriott Digital Library THE JOURNEY OF LIBERALISM IN EGYPT IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: FROM AHMAD AMIN TO HUSAYN AHMAD AMIN by Makoto Mizutani A dissertation submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Middle East Studies/History Department of Languages and Literature The University of Utah December 2010 UMI Number: 3426878 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3426878 Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 Copyright © Makoto Mizutani 2010 All Rights Reserved The University of Utah Graduate School STATEMENT OF DISSERTATION APPROVAL The dissertation of Makoto Mizutani has been approved by the following supervisory committee members: Peter Sluglett , Chair September 8, 2010 Date Approved Peter von Sivers , Member September 8, 2010 Date Approved M. Hakan Yavuz , Member September 8, 2010 Date Approved Chibli Mallat , Member September 8, 2010 Date Approved Asaad Al-Saleh , Member September 8, 2010 Date Approved and by Bahman Baktiari , Chair of the Department of Middle East Center and by Charles A. Wight, Dean of The Graduate School. ABSTRACT Ahmad Amin (1886-1954) was a well established historian and a liberal thinker on the issue of cultural reform. His son, Husayn (1932-), is also widely known for his argument against the Islamic radicalism, particularly from the angle of a historian and a judiciary. Their roles and contributions could be assessed in their respective societies, just as they could be evaluated together as in a journey of liberalism. The manner in which various discussions were carried out by the two differs on each topic; the father elaborated a lot on the concept of religious belief, whereas the son seemed to have relied upon it. The son was critical about a historical role played by Sufism but he also appreciated highly its contribution before the tenth century, thus avoiding a clash with the father. Both the father and the son tend to take a position of the middle way on various questions, including that of the application of the Shari‘a, stressing a vital importance of the personal interpretation or ijtihad. As viewed from a broader spectrum, the son reflects the legacy from the father as a liberal, though its connotation is somewhat different from the Western context. Also both are students of history in their zeal to maintain an objective stand toward historical events. At the same time, they reflect the change of their respective times, thus composing a paradigm shift: the father’s Arab-Islamic perspective and the son’s one nation perspective, after all Arab states are sovereign and independent by the end of the twentieth century. On the international arena, however, a much wider Islamic reformation seems to be taking place, involving all the Arab and non-Arab Muslims and all those in Islamic lands or in diasporas. Liberalism in Egypt ought to be seen in this broader context as well, which might provide us with some clue to the future of the contemporary Islamic thoughts. For the sake of this study, abundant Arabic sources are employed including nearly one thousand essays and short articles written by both writers as well as many other critics about them. These articles were and still are a very useful means of presenting views and opinions to the public who found it more accessible than bulky books in the modern Arab world. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Aim and Approach of this Study...................................................................... 1 Outline of the Two Writers ............................................................................................... 7 Review of the Literature.................................................................................................. 16 II. AHMAD AMIN AND HIS TIME...................................................................................28 An Era of National Uprisings......................................................................................... 28 The Egyptian “Renaissance” and its Aftermath .............................................. 33 A Rapid Shift Since the 1930s ..................................................................44 III. HUSAYN AHMAD AMIN AND HIS TIME..........................................................51 From Nasser to Sadat ....................................................................................................... 51 The Era of Mubarak.......................................................................................................... 54 Husayn Ahmad Amin’s Milieu among Liberals............................................................ 57 IV. THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE THOUGHT OF AHMAD AND HUSAYN AMIN..................................................................................................................78 Paradigm Shift.............................................................................................................78 Fragile Optimism vs. Deep Sorrow...........................................................................86 Family as a Network...................................................................................................90 V. DISCUSSIONS OF ISLAM.........................................................................................97 Religious Belief .......................................................................................97 Islamic Studies....................................................................................... 105 Application of the Shari’a...................................................................... 119 VI. DISCUSSIONS OF CIVILIZATION...................................................................128 Western Civilization as a Challenge ...................................................... 128 Easternism............................................................................................. 151 VII. DISCUSSIONS OF POLITICS ..............................................................................156 Ahmad and Public Enlightenment.......................................................... 156 Husayn and Islamic Radicalism............................................................. 173 A Shift in Balance.................................................................................. 182 VIII. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................184 From Father to Son: Microlevel and Macrolevel .................................... 184 The Currents of Liberalism, Secularism and Democracy..............................189 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................... 196 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I should like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Peter Sluglett, for his warm guidance as well as to all the other members of the Supervisory Committee who offered me kind advices. Many thanks also go to those who helped me always generously, including Ms. June Marvel of the Middle East Center, and Dr. Leonard Chiarelli of the Marriott Library. Without their assistance, the work would not have been as it is now. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Aim and Approach of this Study Ahmad Amin (1886-1954) is widely known as one of the leading intellectuals in modern Egypt. His thoughts were unique and innovative, extending to various areas including Islam, politics and civilizations.1 Some thirty years after his death, his son, Husayn Ahmad Amin (b. 1932), has taken over some of the tasks his father left unfinished. Husayn himself is now a very popular writer, particularly on Islamic subjects. This study aims, first, to look into some of the main features of Ahmad Amin’s thought in historical context, with special emphasis on questions relating to Islam, politics and civilization. Secondly, attention will be drawn to some of the arguments advanced by Husayn Ahmad Amin, centering on the issues of Islamic law and national development. His father was a member of the first generation of post–WW I liberals and Husayn is marching under much the same banner. On major issues, the discussion will follow thematic arrangements as well. How are these two individuals’ thoughts associated, and to what 1 That Ahmad Amin was ‘unique and innovative’ will be amply shown through a close reading of his work, although he is often regarded as a mild thinker. 2 extent has the son developed his father’s ideas? How can we assess the contributions of the two ideologues in the swift currents of Egyptian society?
Recommended publications
  • States of Discipline

    States of Discipline

    States of Discipline 16_892_Tansel.indb 1 1/25/17 8:04 AM Transforming Capitalism Series Editors: Ian Bruff, University of Manchester; Julie Cupples, University of Edinburgh; Gemma Edwards, University of Manchester; Laura Horn, University of Roskilde; Simon Springer, University of Victoria; Jacqui True, Monash University This book series provides an open platform for the publication of path-breaking and in- terdisciplinary scholarship which seeks to understand and critique capitalism along four key lines: crisis, development, inequality, and resistance. At its core lies the assumption that the world is in various states of transformation, and that these transformations may build upon earlier paths of change and conflict while also potentially producing new forms of crisis, development, inequality, and resistance. Through this approach the series alerts us to how capitalism is always evolving and hints at how we could also transform capitalism itself through our own actions. It is rooted in the vibrant, broad and pluralistic debates spanning a range of approaches which are being practised in a number of fields and disciplines. As such, it will appeal to sociology, geography, cultural studies, interna- tional studies, development, social theory, politics, labour and welfare studies, economics, anthropology, law, and more. Titles in the Series The Radicalization of Pedagogy: Anarchism, Geography, and the Spirit of Revolt, edited by Simon Springer, Marcelo de Souza and Richard J. White Theories of Resistance: Anarchism, Geography, and the Spirit of Revolt edited by Marcelo Lopes de Souza, Richard J. White and Simon Springer The Practice of Freedom: Anarchism, Geography, and the Spirit of Revolt, edited by Richard J.
  • Resisting Neoliberalism? Movements Against Austerity and for Democracy in Cairo, Athens and London

    Resisting Neoliberalism? Movements Against Austerity and for Democracy in Cairo, Athens and London

    Armine Ishkanian and Marlies Glasius Resisting neoliberalism? Movements against austerity and for democracy in Cairo, Athens and London Article (Accepted version) (Refereed) Original citation: Ishkanian, Armine and Glasius Marlies (2017). Resisting neoliberalism? Movements against austerity and for democracy in Cairo, Athens and London. Critical Social Policy ISSN 0261-0183 © 2017 the Author This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/85656/ Available in LSE Research Online: November 2017 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. This document is the author’s final accepted version of the journal article. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. RESISTING NEOLIBERALISM? MOVEMENTS AGAINST AUSTERITY AND FOR DEMOCRACY IN CAIRO, ATHENS AND LONDON 1. Introduction Since 2011, the world witnessed an increase in protests across the globe as citizens have expressed their discontent with the prevailing economic and social policies as well as the political structures and systems of power.
  • Politics Conflict and Proxy Wars

    Politics Conflict and Proxy Wars

    The author/Fouad Mussed Fouad Mussed Dhaifallah Muthanna is a researcher at the Abaad Center for Studies and Research, born in 1977 in al-Dhale governorate, southern Yemen. He also works as a correspondent for the Turkish Anadolu News Agency. He got a bachelor in the English Literature from Aden University. He worked as a representative for al-Dhale governorate between 2012 and 2013 in the program of “Promoting Electoral Reforms”, which was implemented by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). He won the second place in the competition for the best article on "Civil Society after the Arab Spring", in "Freedom Forum" - Kingdom of Morocco 2012. He managed the editorial of Al-Watani newspaper between 208 and 2013. Abaad Studies & Research Center : About Us Abaad Studies & Research Center (Abaad) is a non-profit organization مركز أبعاد للدراسات والبحوث that has a license from Yemen's Social Affairs Ministry No. (436) issued on Abaad Studies & Research Center October 18 2010. focuses on politics, intellect, democracy, election, political parties, terrorism, freedoms as well as economic and social issues. Six decades of instability..Yemen ... politics conflict and proxy wars Index Summary......................................................................................................4 Research Methodology................................................................................5 introduction.................................................................................................8 The first topic: Revolution and Identity
  • A/HRC/45/CRP.7 29 September 2020

    A/HRC/45/CRP.7 29 September 2020

    1 0 A/HRC/45/CRP.7 29 September 2020 English Arabic and English only Human Rights Council Forty-fifth session 14 September–2 October 2020 Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Situation of human rights in Yemen, including violations and abuses since September 2014 Detailed findings of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen* Summary Submitted as a supplement to A/HRC/45/6, this paper sets out the detailed findings of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen mandated to investigate violations by parties to the conflict since September 2014. During this year, the Group of Eminent Experts prioritised for investigation violations occurring since mid-2019, while taking a longer temporal scope for some categories of violations not fully addressed during our previous reports. The Group of Eminent Experts found reasonable grounds to believe that the parties to the conflict in Yemen are responsible for pervasive and incessant international human rights law and international humanitarian law violations, many of which may amount to war crimes. The summary of these findings is included in A/HRC/45/6. In addition to highlighting the parties to the conflict responsible for violations, the Group of Eminent Experts identified, where possible, potential perpetrators of crimes that may have been committed. A list of names of such individuals has been submitted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on a strictly confidential basis to assist with future accountability efforts.
  • This Thesis Narrates Political and Economic Transformations In

    This Thesis Narrates Political and Economic Transformations In

    Yemen's Migrant Networks as Critical Factor in Political Opposition to the Imamate Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Hertzman, Rachel Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 22:48:28 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/294039 YEMEN’S MIGRANT NETWORKS AS CRITICAL FACTOR IN POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO THE IMAMATE by Rachel Hertzman ____________________________ A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2013 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.
  • Traditions of Liberalism in the Middle East

    Traditions of Liberalism in the Middle East

    Transcript Traditions of Liberalism in the Middle East Dr Ali Allawi Research Professor, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore Tarek Osman Author, Egypt on the Brink Nadim Shehadi Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House Professor Charles Tripp Professor of Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies Chair: Jane Kinninmont Deputy Head and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House 22 May 2014 The views expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the speaker(s) and participants do not necessarily reflect the view of Chatham House, its staff, associates or Council. Chatham House is independent and owes no allegiance to any government or to any political body. It does not take institutional positions on policy issues. This document is issued on the understanding that if any extract is used, the author(s)/ speaker(s) and Chatham House should be credited, preferably with the date of the publication or details of the event. Where this document refers to or reports statements made by speakers at an event every effort has been made to provide a fair representation of their views and opinions. The published text of speeches and presentations may differ from delivery. 10 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LE T +44 (0)20 7957 5700 F +44 (0)20 7957 5710 www.chathamhouse.org Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Chairman: Stuart Popham QC Director: Dr Robin Niblett Charity Registration Number: 208223 2 Traditions of Liberalism in the Middle East Jane Kinninmont This particular event came out of a discussion some of us were having here, inspired by the recent publication of a book of memoirs by Tawfiq al-Suwaydi, a leading liberal prime minister and statesman from Iraq.
  • A Policy for Promoting Liberal Democracy in Egypt

    A Policy for Promoting Liberal Democracy in Egypt

    FDD White Paper Series: Voices from the Middle East on Democratization and Reform A POLICY FOR PROMOTING LIBERAL DEMOCRACY IN EGYPT By Dr. Hala Mustafa MAY 2006 American policy-circles are in the midst of a vigorous debate about the wisdom and effectiveness of promoting democracy in the Middle East as a long-term weapon in the war against Radical Islamic Terrorism. In this White Paper series, we endeavor to bring into this debate the voices of those in the front lines of democratization in the Middle East: the civil activists, the dissident intellectuals, the opposition leaders. As Editor-in-Chief of a Cairo-based publication on democ- “The policy recommended racy, Dr. Hala Mustafa brings an insider's perspective on the in this paper ... consists of struggle to liberalize Egyptian politics. She argues that the a realistic approach for choice between authoritarianism and Islamism in Egypt is a transforming the regime false one. American policy towards democratization in Egypt from within by promoting can help pave a third path if it focuses on strengthening liberal liberal ideas and figures.” democrats, and not just the democratic process. Foundation for Defense of Democracies There has been much talk about promoting reform and democratization in Egypt. Yet, the steps that have been taken so far have been limited, and have resulted in little more than cosmetic changes. It has not helped that most analyses on the prospects for political reform in Egypt are stymied by fears that the only alternative to the present authoritarian regime is an Islamist one. But is it really true that Egypt is inherently caught between authoritarianism and Islamism? In fact, it is in the interest of the current regime to present this polarized view of Egypt’s future, and to thereby deny moderate, secular, and liberal forces the opportunity to gain any significant traction.
  • A Case Study of the Stabilizing Fragile States Project

    A Case Study of the Stabilizing Fragile States Project

    PM 5:13 12/15/10 2011 RUHE Y THE R OF JANUA PROJECT JONATHAN TES A AND STUDY T S SE A C MISZTAL GILE A A R BLAISE F MAKOVSKY, BILIZING A T S MICHAEL FRAGILITY AND EXTREMISM IN YEMEN :: A CASE STUDY OF THE STABILIZING FRAGILE STATES PROJECT :: BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER 20005 NW DC 1000 Street, 202.204.2400 I Suite 1225 Phone: Washington, www.bipartisanpolicy.org 1 62357_CVR_X2.indd FRAGILITY AND EXTREMISM IN YEMEN A CASE STUDY OF THE STABILIZING FRAGILE STATES PROJECT January 2011 62357_TXT_X2.indd 1 12/15/10 5:14 PM ABOUT THIS REPORT In the fall of 2009, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Stabilizing Fragile States steering committee directed project staff to undertake a case study of Yemen in order to provide a more granular understanding of the specific challenges found in fragile states. The original version of that case study was published in February 2010, accompanied by a public discussion, entitled “Yemen: The Next Afghanistan?” featuring project co-chairs Ambassador Paula Dobriansky and Admiral (Ret.) Gregory Johnson, as well as former Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Krajeski, Les Campbell of the National Democratic Institute and for- mer Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Doran. This staff paper is an update to that original publication and is being released in conjunction with the Stabilizing Fragile States report. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank the Stabilizing Fragile States steering committee for their advice and guidance over the course of this project. We are also grateful to a number of former BPC staff and interns, without whom this report would not have been possible.
  • How Tourism Accounts for 'Terrorism'

    How Tourism Accounts for 'Terrorism'

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Online Research @ Cardiff Review of International Studies (2012), 38, 615–640 6 2011 British International Studies Association doi:10.1017/S0260210511000805 First published online 21 Feb 2012 ‘Who would go to Egypt?’ How tourism accounts for ‘terrorism’ ELISA WYNNE-HUGHES* Abstract. This article examines the tension between British and Egyptian counterterrorism dis- courses and Western tourism industry discourses. I analyse how guidebooks like the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet attract tourists by representing Egypt as an appealing tourist destina- tion in a way that accounts for its positioning, in counterterrorism discourses, as a location and source of terrorism. They do so by producing ‘risk’ in a very specific way. Guidebook representations construct one extreme of Egyptian society as ‘bad’ Muslims who pose an essential threat to Western tourists and their inherently progressive liberal democratic values. Having defined risk in this way, guidebooks justify the production of ‘states of exception’ and ‘exceptional states’ that exclude ‘bad’ Muslims and protect Western tourists. These strategies function together to construct Egypt as non-threatening and appealing to tourists. I argue that guidebooks not only account for terrorism but represent Egypt in a way that largely rein- forces British and Egyptian ‘war on terror’ strategies. These strategies similarly protect subjects and spaces that uphold Western liberal democratic values. This article highlights the constitu- tive role of tourism in international politics and simultaneously helps us better understand the complex and mundane means by which the current Western liberal order is (re)produced.
  • A Community of Muslims 1 1

    A Community of Muslims 1 1

    Imperial Muslims 55528_Reese.indd528_Reese.indd i 005/10/175/10/17 112:162:16 PPMM To the People of Aden. May their suffering soon come to an end. 55528_Reese.indd528_Reese.indd iiii 005/10/175/10/17 112:162:16 PPMM Imperial Muslims Is lam, Community and Authority in the Indian Ocean, 1839–1937 S cott S. Reese 55528_Reese.indd528_Reese.indd iiiiii 005/10/175/10/17 112:162:16 PPMM Edinburgh University Press is one of the leading university presses in the UK. We publish academic books and journals in our selected subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, combining cutting-edge scholarship with high editorial and production values to produce academic works of lasting importance. For more information visit our website: edinburghuniversitypress.com © Scott S. Reese, 2018 Edinburgh University Press Ltd The Tun—Holyrood Road 12 (2f) Jackson’s Entry Edinburgh EH8 8PJ Typeset in 10.5/12.5 Times New Roman by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd, and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 9765 6 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 9766 3 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 1 4744 3252 8 (epub) The right of Scott S. Reese to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (SI No. 2498). 55528_Reese.indd528_Reese.indd iivv 005/10/175/10/17 112:162:16 PPMM Contents Acknowledgments vii Map 1 British Aden x Map 2 The Indian Ocean and its commercial routes xi Map 3 Yemen in the nineteenth century xii Introduction: A Community of Muslims 1 1.
  • Civil Society and Democratization in Yemen. Enhancing the Role of Intermediate Bodies Laurent Bonnefoy, Marine Poirier

    Civil Society and Democratization in Yemen. Enhancing the Role of Intermediate Bodies Laurent Bonnefoy, Marine Poirier

    Civil society and democratization in Yemen. Enhancing the role of intermediate bodies Laurent Bonnefoy, Marine Poirier To cite this version: Laurent Bonnefoy, Marine Poirier. Civil society and democratization in Yemen. Enhancing the role of intermediate bodies. 2009. hal-01066200 HAL Id: hal-01066200 https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01066200 Preprint submitted on 19 Sep 2014 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMME CIVIL SOCIETY IN WEST ASIA WORKING PAPER 3 LAURENT BONNEFOY | MARINE POIRIER CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRATIZATION IN CONTEMPORARY YEMEN Enhancing the Role of Intermediate Bodies Colophon First published in November 2009 by the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, a joint initiative by Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries P.O. Box 85565 | 2508 CG The Hague | The Netherlands www.hivos.net Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam Department of Political Science Oudezijds Achterburgwal 237 | 1012 DL Amsterdam | The Netherlands www.assr.nl Design: Tangerine – Design & communicatie advies, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Cover photo: a Yemeni woman who has just voted, from EmptyQuarter.net. ISSN 2210-3473 © University of Amsterdam and Hivos 2010 All rights reserved The publishers encourage fair use of this material provided proper citation is made.
  • On Recognition: the First Steps to Democratization and the Case of the Egyptian Revolution

    On Recognition: the First Steps to Democratization and the Case of the Egyptian Revolution

    chapter 6 On Recognition: The First Steps to Democratization and the Case of the Egyptian Revolution Deina Abdelkader In peace building literature one of the important steps in conflict resolution is ‘recognition’, it is impossible to build peace in a post-conflict situation without recognition. However, the literature also qualifies this recognition process. For example, relations of power are very important in the process of recognition and reconciliation. As Ilan Pappé notes in the context of the Israeli– Palestinian conflict, the ‘paradigm of parity’ (the Israeli view of the conflict) and the ‘para- digm of the oppressor-oppressed’ (the Palestinian view of the conflict) should be reconciled in an attempt to achieve: “fair recognition and reconciliation”. (Daniele, Giulia, 2014: 87–88). Not only is it difficult to attempt to define the bases of recognition on a theoretical level, but also on the practical level it is challenging to enact recog- nition because of the asymmetry of power that usually exists in situations of conflict. In the field of international relations and comparative politics there is a similar notion in post conflict and democratization efforts. The goal in po- litical science though is different because its main focus is on the consolida- tion of democratization. Valerie Bunce has expanded on the theory of pacting where she emphasizes the need to include the elite in the process of transition- ing to “democracy and thus pacting” with the elite, although of course there is asymmetry in power relations. Valerie Bunce’s emphasis on the inclusion of the elites in post conflict situations is based on “maintaining/sustaining” democratic transition.