Affective Politics in Transitional North Africa: Imagining the Future Workshop and Roundtable Report
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OCCASIONAL PAPER Affective Politics in Transitional North Africa: Imagining the Future Workshop and roundtable report 27–28 may 2013, Alexandria, Egypt Editor: Maria Frederika Malmström Rapporteur: Maria Lindbäck www.nai.uu.se ISBN 978-91-7106-747-0 Affective Politics in Transitional North Africa: Imagining the Future Workshop and roundtable report from the Nordic Africa Institute and Swedish Institute Alexandria workshop 27–28 May 2013 Alexandria, Egypt The Nordic Africa Institute and Swedish Institute Alexandria, 2013 Senior researcher: Dr Maria Frederika Malmström Rapporteur: Maria Lindbäck Affective politics in transitional North Africa: Imagining the future Summary The workshop is part of a research project initi- This workshop provided a much needed op- ated by Dr Maria Frederika Malmström, senior portunity for theoretical discussion of affect and researcher for North Africa in the Conflict, Secu- politics, as well as to build a new network of an- rity and Democratic Transformation cluster at the thropologists. Scholars will as a result be better posi- Nordic Africa Institute. Dr Malmström is of the tioned to share their research interests and also their view that in the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings and years of experience in the field, all in the interests of the recent instability in North African societies, deepening understanding of recent developments in European policy-makers and academics alike have transitional countries. tended to overlook the most powerful link, that be- Workshop discussions touched on a wide range tween politics and affect. Consequently, Dr Malm- of topics, from the very definition of affect, to ways ström invited a group of researchers to Alexandria of expressing affect and politics through poetry, in May 2013 to participate in a two-day workshop film-making, demonstrations and so on, to findings on this issue. The workshop was jointly arranged by on the disappearance or strengthening of affect and the Nordic Africa Institute and the Swedish Insti- politics in North African society in this transitional tute Alexandria. period. – 4 – Workshop and roundtable report Content Introduction ..............................................................................................7 Biography of Maria Frederika Malmström ................................................9 List of participants ...................................................................................10 Welcoming session .................................................................................. 11 Presentations of Abstracts and Biographies – Day I ................................12 Mohammed Tabishat ......................................................................12 Zakaria Rhani ...................................................................................12 Samuli Schielke ................................................................................13 Senni Jyrkiäinen ............................................................................... 14 Summary of discussions – Day I ..............................................................15 Presentations of Abstracts and Biographies – Day II ............................... 17 Mustafa Aattir ................................................................................. 17 Susanne Dahlgren ........................................................................... 17 Aymon Kreil ..................................................................................... 18 Mark Westmoreland .......................................................................18 Carl Rommel .................................................................................... 19 Summary of discussions – Day II ............................................................. 21 Abstracts and Biographies of additional researchers in the network .....23 Dida Badi ......................................................................................... 23 Igor Cherstich .................................................................................. 23 Nefissa Naguib ................................................................................ 24 Rachid Id Yassin ............................................................................... 24 Summary Roundtable Discussions .......................................................... 26 Outcomes ................................................................................................28 References ...............................................................................................29 Annex I – Workshop Programme ............................................................30 – 5 – Affective politics in transitional North Africa: Imagining the future Opening session of the roundtable discussions on the second day of the workshop on Affective Politics in Transitional North Africa: Imagining the Future. The picture shows Mark Westmoreland’s presentation of his research in Cairo entitled ‘Inti Mabsoota?’ (Are you happy?). – 6 – Workshop and roundtable report Introduction When I began to plan this event as a new senior noted the prevalence of cynicism, acceptance and researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, I was also apathy in relation to state politics in Turkey, as I planning my new research in Cairo. At that time, I had during previous fieldwork. Awareness of a ter- was asking myself questions similar to those being rifying state is not, as she underscores, ‘a bowing- asked by Professor Farha Ghannam1 and other an- down form of submission.’ Rather, this submission thropologists after the uprisings in the region: How to power involves a high degree of agency (Navaro- do we understand the unfolding dynamic processes Yashin 2002:164). In Egypt, the majority obviously in North African societies in the aftermath of the opposed the Mubarak regime. They have used dif- 2011 uprisings, as well as today’s instability? ferent forms of action to try to free themselves from Affective politics in transitional North Africa former subordinate situations. Yet not everyone were becoming more and more important to me wants a liberal discourse focused on freedom and during the process of preparing for the workshop individual autonomy, and many may perceive con- and my new research. I asked myself: How do peo- cepts such as gender equality (as opposed to equity ple sense and express the aftermath of the ‘Arab or complementarity) as laden with cultural impe- Spring’? What is the role of affective politics in cre- rialism. Furthermore, many Egyptians do not op- ating new citizens? What is the role of non-discur- pose every actor from the former era. As Mahmood sive forces in social life in the uprisings? (2001:212) claims ‘agentival capacity is entailed not During my earlier research in Egypt, women and only in those acts that result in (progressive) change men of all ages felt that doomsday was approaching. but also those that aim toward continuity, stasis, The majority could see only a bleak future for them- and stability.’ selves and their children. They often described the In the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings and the suffering Egyptians experienced under Mubarak’s recent instability in North African societies, Euro- policies. People reacted with anger and dissatisfac- pean policy-makers and academics alike have tend- tion at the state’s weakness towards the Western ed to overlook the most powerful link, that between world and its economic mismanagement. Deterio- politics and affect. Affective politics in the region rating conditions of life and the instability in the have the capacity to influence senses of belonging. region contributed to a sense of loss of control, and However, current dynamics may contribute to loss undermined individual and collective security. Such of control and undermine individual and collective feelings were embodied and expressed in the form security, evoking uncertainty, insecurity and fur- of aggression, frustration and anxiety. During the ther violence in transitional North Africa. A more Iraq War, young people declared that it was time comprehensive understanding of contemporary for revolution in Egypt, a revolution more serious North African politics needs to include the body, than that which broke out during the bread riots the senses and public affect. Only then will we be of 1977: ‘Egyptians endure and endure, but in the able to understand human actions that are not me- end … [there will be] an explosion, and the time diated by language or consciousness. for reaction is here’ (Malmström 2009:62; Malm- Spinoza, Deleuze and Guattari and scholars ström 2013:38). It would take another ten years inspired by them (cf., Protevi 2009) define affect for that to happen. Yet, Egyptian political subjects as the pre-discursive forces that mould the body, have remained active. In the early 2000s, politics the senses and the consciousness. These forces can appeared as hidden transcripts (Scott 1990) rather be material or immaterial, for example, bodies or than as so-called revolution on the streets. The rules spaces, images as well as sound, light, scent, etc. Ac- of the state have been acted upon through apathy cording to these scholars, affects are related to (but and depression, but also through cynicism, rumour should not be understood as synonymous with) feel- and humour (Navaro-Yashin 2002). Passivity, sta- ings and emotions. Massumi suggests instead that bility and cynicism and other similar reactions may we understand affects as intense forces that have the actually be forms of agency. Navaro-Yashin