Egyptian Diaspora Explains the Meaning of Its Political Engagement in Washington, DC
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2019 Egyptian Diaspora Explains the Meaning of its Political Engagement in Washington, DC Sameh hasan Elnaggar Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Ethnic Studies Commons, and the Public Policy Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Sameh Hassan Elnaggar has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Benedict DeDominicis, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Timothy Fadgen, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. George Kieh, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty The Office of the Provost Walden University 2019 Abstract Egyptian Diaspora Explains the Meaning of its Political Engagement in Washington, DC by Sameh Hassan Elnaggar M.A., Mercy College, 2008 B.S., Cairo University, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University December 2019 Abstract Available literature showed that the Egyptian diaspora (e.g., emigrants who share a common situations and work for the same cause) has been developing and engaging politically in the United States during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The diasporas’ role was of interest to researchers and policymakers; however, the literature concerning diasporas has underexamined the Egyptian diaspora regarding its proliferation and active political engagement. Using the conflict and climate theories of Truman, and Cigler and Loomis in conjunction with the political engagement factors theory of Jang as the theoretical foundation of the study, the purpose was to explore how members of the diaspora explain and perceive their political engagement in Washington, DC. In this qualitative study, the key characteristics of diaspora and political and social factors of home and host countries that enable and inhibit that engagement regarding particular issues were addressed through 16 in-depth, face-to-face interviews with Egyptian- Americans. Maxwell and Miller’s doubled-strategy and Yin’s case study steps approach were used for analysis. The findings indicated that the engagement of the diaspora except Coptic and some Islamic groups are passive most of the time because of the political home culture; despite that fact, the diaspora became active for a short time because of the Egyptian revolution. Future research should exam those aspects to better understand the mechanism of building an Egyptian lobby to work continuously and effectively on Egyptian interests in the United States. The diaspora and policymakers may use the study results to help improve the role of this diaspora to impose positive social changes in Egypt and the future political engagement of Egyptian younger generations. Egyptian Diaspora Explains the Meaning of its Political Engagement in Washington, DC by Sameh Hassan Elnaggar M.A., Mercy College, 2008 B.S., Cairo University, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University December 2019 Dedication First and foremost, I want to give all thanks to Allah for giving me the strength and perseverance to reach this extraordinary milestone in my life. It was another step To my father, you are the one who advised me to go for and to Washington, DC. I did and will continue. You saw what I could not see. You are never wrong at all. What a man with long sight! Thank You To my mother, you are the only one who advised and pushed me to do my M.A. and then my Ph.D. You are right, as usual. I did it for you only. Sorry for the lateness, but it is yours now. I will continue to accomplish more exactly, as you planed. Thank You To my brother and son. I do love you both but I do not thank you for lack of understanding, support, cooperation, appreciation, and for the disturbance. I am sure that we could do better in the past seven years and we should do the best for the future To his Excellency President Donald Trump, for his exceptional inspiration and views To many people, some ones in Walden University, FAFSA, etc., I see no reason to thank because 7 years and 160 K+ are enough thanks. Enemy, thanks for showing me that I am not equal to you. I am free now. To Sameh Hasan Elnaggar, thanks for believing in Allah, being positive and nonstop working super hard, being extremely patient as well as many other good things and deeds Acknowledgment I acknowledge the time and cooperation of some members of the Egyptian diaspora in Washington, DC. Thank you for your time and your opinion. My sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Benedict DeDominicis for serving as my doctoral committee chair. Thank you for your invaluable guidance and timely feedback. My sincere appreciation to Mrs. Flore Weinstein for your support and guidance, and Mr. Dan J. Fleischhacker for your valuable feedback and excellent, prompt work. Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................14 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................17 Research Questions ......................................................................................................19 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................20 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................25 Operational Definitions ................................................................................................27 Assumptions .................................................................................................................30 Scope and Delimitation ................................................................................................31 Limitations ...................................................................................................................33 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................35 Summary and Transition Statement .............................................................................40 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................42 Introduction ..................................................................................................................42 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................43 Literature Source ................................................................................................... 43 i Literature Key Search Terms Used ....................................................................... 44 The Iterative Search Process ................................................................................. 44 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................45 A Brief Map of the Theoretical Framework ......................................................... 45 Theories on Interest Groups and Ethnic Interest Groups (Diaspora) Proliferation .............................................................................................. 50 Literature Review.........................................................................................................66 An Exhaustive Review of Current Literature ....................................................... 66 Approaching the Diasporas’ Characteristics and External Factors ....................... 77 Diaspora Characteristics ....................................................................................... 79 Factors of Diaspora’s Political Engagement, Influence, Strategies, and Nature ........................................................................................................ 87 The Connection Between the External Factors, Internal Characteristics, and Strategies ............................................................................................ 96 Other Factors Related to