WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Utilizing mass media in the political empowerment of Egyptian women. Aliaa Abdel Aziz Dawoud School of Media, Arts and Design This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © The Author, 2010. This is a reproduction of the paper copy held by the University of Westminster library. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Users are permitted to download and/or print one copy for non-commercial private study or research. Further distribution and any use of material from within this archive for profit-making enterprises or for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: (http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] UTILIZING MASS MEDIA IN THE POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT OF EGYPTIAN WOMEN ALIAA ABDEL AZIZ DAWOUD A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2010 ABSTRACT Egyptian women’s activists are widely regarded as pioneers in calling for women’s rights in the Arab world. However, the struggle for women’s rights in Egypt is a complex one that has led to many achievements, but has also involved numerous setbacks. The media has been central throughout this struggle and all of this has always taken place in a highly politicized environment, which involved changes in the state’s approach to women’s rights. Thus, this study investigates the interplay between women, media and politics in Egypt. It uses theories of authoritarianism that have been used to describe the nature of the incumbent Egyptian regime, as well as notions pertaining to the corporatist tactics it resorts to in order to analyze the manner in which the state deals with women’s activists and their access to the media. This involves a particular emphasis on the privately owned media which has flourished in Egypt in recent years. Also, because the Egyptian government is directly and actively involved in ‘women’s issues’, the study uses the notion of state feminism to analyze its efforts in this regard and how they relate to media treatment of women and their rights. In addition, the study draws on theories of post and neo colonialism to analyze how efforts in the area of women’s rights by both the government and activists relate to the international framework, which promotes a specific version of women’s rights. This is done by interviewing female members of political parties, NGOs and a governmental women’s organization, as well as using archival research to analyze the information available in the publications of these organizations. Other methods employed in this study are critical discourse analysis to analyze media treatment of women’s political empowerment, in addition to focus groups to investigate Egyptian female audiences’ reception of political drama. As a result, the study breaks new ground in theorizing the relationship between the state and women’s activists and thus explains the activists’ media access. It also develops the notion of state feminism and relates it to the media. Finally, the study reveals and theorizes how the privately owned media in Egypt is subtly controlled by the state. CONTENTS PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................10 NOTE ON SOURCES AND CITATIONS ...................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................12 1.1 EGYPTIAN WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ...............................14 1.2 EGYPTIAN POLITICS ............................................................................…….16 1.3 EGYPTIAN MEDIA AND WOMEN’S INVOVLEMENT IN IT ……………17 1.4 CONSTRUCTIONS OF WOMANHOOD IN EGYPT …………….………....19 1.5 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES ……………………………………………….20 CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................22 2.1 THE CHALLENGE OF LOCATING WOMEN IN EGYPTIAN POLITICS...23 2.1.1 Formal Politics ...............................................................................23 2.1.2 Informal Politics .............................................................................26 2.1.3 Media, Authoritarian Politics and Female Audiences ....................27 2.2 THEORIES OF THE STATE AND STATE FEMINISM ……………………31 2.2.1 Manifestations of State Feminism in Egypt ....................................32 2.2.2 Civil Society Activism in Egypt .......................................................35 2.2.3 International Negotiations on Women’s Political Rights ................37 2.2.4 Responses to Western Intervention …………………………………....40 2.3 IMPLICATIONS AND SUMMARY …………………………………………44 2.3.1 Features of Women’s Political Empowerment ……………………....44 2.3.2 Questions for Research ……………………………..…………………..47 2.3.2.1 Research Questions ……………………………………………………48 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………….….49 3.1 PROCESS TRACING ………………………………………………………...49 3.1.1 Sampling for Elite Interviews …………………………………………..54 3.1.2 Archival Research ……………………………………………………….55 3.2 INTERPARATIVE COMMUNITIES ………………………………………..56 3.2.1 Adapting the Methodological Approach to the Egyptian Context ...57 3.2.2 Dilemmas …………………..…………………………………………..…61 3.3 CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ………………………………...…….64 CHAPTER 4 WOMEN IN EGYPTIAN PARTY POLITICS IN RELATION TO THE MEDIA ……………………………………………………………………..…68 4.1 NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY ………………………………………70 4.1.1 Background Information about the Party ……………………….……70 4.1.2 Background Information about Nehal Shoukry ……………………...70 4.1.3 The Party’s Stance on Women’s Rights …………………………...….71 4.1.4 Women’s Secretariat …………………………….............................…72 4.1.5 Elections …………………………………………………………………..72 4.1.6 Media ………………………………………………………………..…….73 4.1.6 Relationship with NCW………………………………………………….74 4.1.7 How Decisions Regarding Women’s Rights are Made …………..…75 4.2 THE NEO WAFD PARTY ………………………………………………...…77 4.2.1 Background Information about the Party……………..………………77 4.2.2 Background Information about Mona Korashi …………………..….77 4.2.3 The Party’s Stance on Women’s Rights…………………………..…...78 4.2.4 Women’s Committee…………………………………………………..…79 4.2.5 Elections …………………………………………………………….…….79 4.2.6 Media ……………………………………………………………………...81 4.2.7 Relationship with NCW………………………………………………….81 4.2.8 NGO Activism ……………………………………………………………82 4.3 DEMOCRATIC FRONT PARTY …………………………..…………….….82 4.3.1 Background Information about the Party……………………….…….82 4.3.2 Background Information about Magda Saed ………………………...83 4.3.3 The Party’s Stance on Women’s Rights ……………………………....83 4.3.4 Saed’s Experience ………………………………………..................... 84 4.3.5 NGO Activism…………………………………………………………….86 4.4 TAGAMMU PARTY …………………………………………………..…....87 4.4.1 Background Information about the Party………. ……………………87 4.4.2 Background Information about Bahiga Hussein ………………….…88 4.4.3 The Party’s Stance on Women’s Rights………………….……………88 4.4.4 Feminist Progressive Union ………………………………………...…89 2 4.4.5 Elections …………………………………….……………………………91 4.4.6 Media ……………………………………………..……………………….92 4.4.7 Relationship with NCW………………………….……………………....94 4.5 THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD …………………………………………..95 4.5.1 Background Information about the Muslim Brotherhood……..……95 4.5.2 Would-be Party Program ……………………………………………….95 4.5.3 Stance on Women ………………………………………………………..96 4.5.4 The Muslim Sisters………………………………………….…………....97 4.5.6 Media………………………………………………………………..……..99 4.5.7 Elections……………………………………………………….………..100 4.7 CONCLUSION ………………………………………………...…………101 CHAPTER 5 ACTIVIST WOMEN, WOMEN’S ACTIVISM AND THE MEDIA …………………………………………………………………………….104 5.1 ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF WOMEN …………………………………………………………………....106 5.1.1 NGO Management ……………………………..…………….………..106 5.1.2 Funding……………………………………………………….………....107 5.1.3 Relationship with State Apparatus…………………..………………108 5.1.4 Relationship with NCW………………………………………….…….110 5.1.5 Discourse………………………………………………………….…….111 5.1.6 Media Exposure and Interaction …………………………….………113 5.2 EGYPTIAN CENTER FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS …………………….….115 5.2.1 NGO Management…………………………………………..…………116 5.2.2 Funding……………………………………………………………..…...116 5.2.3 Relationship with State Apparatus…………………………..………117 5.2.4 Relationship with NCW……………………………………..…………118 5.2.5 Co-operating with Other NGOs……………………………………..120 5.2.6 Discourse………………………………………………….…………….121 5.2.7 Media Exposure and Interaction……………………………….….…122 5.3 NEW WOMAN FOUNDATION …………………………………………126 5.3.1 NGO Management…………………………………………………..…126 3 5.3.2 Funding…………………………………………………………. ……...127 5.3.3 Relationship with Status Apparatus……………………………….…128 5.3.4 Relationship with NCW………………………………………….…….129 5.3.5 Media Exposure and Interaction ………………………………….…130 5.4 NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR WOMEN …………………………...……..132 5.4.1 NCW Management ………………………………………………..….133 5.4.2 NCW Activities ………………………………………………….…….136 5.4.3 Funding………………………………………………………………....137 5.4.4 Relationship with NGOs………………………………………….…..138 5.4.5 Discourse……………………………………………………….….…..138 5.4.6 Media Exposure and Interaction……………………………..……..140 5.5 UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN…………142 5.5.1