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Master Thesis the Revolutionary Subject in the Egyptian Revolution

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Master Thesis the Revolutionary Subject in the Egyptian Revolution Master thesis The revolutionary subject in the Egyptian revolution Global studies Student: Rawan Hamid (51929) Supervisor: Sune Haugbølle Key strokes: 191.660 Date: 03/01/2019 Roskilde University 1 . Abstract Formålet med dette speciale er at undersøge det revolutionære subjekt, der har eksisteret under de Egyptiske opstande. Igennem undersøgelsen identificeres de diskurser der har hersket blandt de væsentligste revolutionære grupperinger, der deltog under opstandene. Disse undersøgelser eksekveres for at etablere typologier, der kan skabe en dybere forståelse af den pludselige masse mobilisering og dens drivkræfter. Dette studie har taget udgangspunkt i teoretiske koncepter omkring politiske forestillinger og ideologier, der er med til at analysere det revolutionære subjekts selvopfattelse. Udefra analysen kan der konkluderes, at udviklingen fra en ’’revolution’’ til en ’’modrevolution’’ kan forklares på baggrund af en indviklet politisk scene, ideologier og differentierede værdier blandt den Egyptiske befolkning. Analysen indikerer, at denne udvikling først og fremmest skyldes at de revolutionæres indre konflikt af modsigende værdier er præget af religion på den ene side og liberalisme på den anden side, samt den fase af usikkerhed, der har præget den politiske scene i Egypten efter Hosni Mubaraks fald. Dette har fået det revolutionære subjekt til at søge imod en stabilitet og religiøse værdier for at kreere en mening i en meningsløs og usikker tilværelse. 2 . TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 5 Five snapshots of contention in Egypt ............................................................................................. 5 1.1 Problem area .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Problem formulation.............................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Outline of the thesis ............................................................................................................... 9 2 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................ 11 2.1 Structuralist revolution theories .......................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Political process approach ....................................................................................................... 14 2.2 The revolutionary subject .................................................................................................... 15 2.2.1 The second revolution ........................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Concepts and contributions ................................................................................................. 19 3 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Philosophy of science .......................................................................................................... 21 3.2 Case study: Egypt as a case ................................................................................................. 21 3.3 Sources of data .................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.1 Secondary sources ................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.2 Primary sources ....................................................................................................................... 23 3.3.3 Processing of data .................................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Limitations of the study ....................................................................................................... 24 4 Literature review ...................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Social media and contemporary activism ............................................................................ 25 4.2 The counterrevolution ......................................................................................................... 29 4.3 Identity and the revolutionary subject ................................................................................. 33 5 Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 37 5.1 A blurred scene of political ideologies ................................................................................ 39 5.2 Defining Arab Liberalism ................................................................................................... 40 5.3 Introduction to the Egyptian revolutionary subjects ........................................................... 42 5.4 The initiators........................................................................................................................ 43 5.4.1 The intellectual ideologist ....................................................................................................... 43 5.4.2 The emergence of a new young intellectual ............................................................................ 44 5.4.3 When optimism turns into frustration ...................................................................................... 45 5.5 A chaotic field of revolutionaries ........................................................................................ 48 3 . 5.5.1 Chapter conclusion .................................................................................................................. 51 5.6 The frustrated follower ........................................................................................................ 52 5.6.1 The Egyptian middle-class ...................................................................................................... 52 5.6.2 The middle-class during Mubarak ........................................................................................... 52 5.6.3 Revolution without revolutionaries?........................................................................................ 53 5.6.4 The return to God .................................................................................................................... 54 5.6.5 Chapter conclusion .................................................................................................................. 55 5.7 The workers ......................................................................................................................... 57 5.7.1 The Mahalla uprisings ............................................................................................................. 57 5.7.2 The proletariat as a revolutionary subject ................................................................................ 58 5.7.3 A working class without hope ................................................................................................. 59 5.7.4 A revolution within the revolution .......................................................................................... 60 5.7.5 Independent trade unions ......................................................................................................... 61 5.7.6 The workers position during the Morsi regime ....................................................................... 62 5.7.7 The crisis over the constitution ................................................................................................ 64 5.7.8 Chapter conclusion .................................................................................................................. 65 5.8 The Islamist revolutionary................................................................................................... 67 5.8.1 The Muslim brotherhood during the Mubarak regime ............................................................ 67 5.8.2 A highly organized party ......................................................................................................... 68 5.8.3 The power of religion .............................................................................................................. 70 5.8.4 Conclusion chapter .................................................................................................................. 71 6 Discussion: A society split between hope and frustration ..................................................... 72 6.1 A revolution of the human? ................................................................................................. 72 6.2 A split revolution ................................................................................................................. 74 7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 77 8 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 78 4 . 1 INTRODUCTION The Arab uprisings or the so-called Arab spring unexpectedly erupted in late 2010 and early beginning of 2011. In the beginning it was characterized
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