The American University in Cairo School of Global Affairs and Public Policy Mustaqillat: Navigating Women’s Mobilities in Post-2011 Egypt A Thesis Submitted to: Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for: A Masters of Arts degree in Gender and Women’s Studies. Specialization: Middle East and North Africa By: Ghadeer Ahmed Eldamaty Under Supervision of Dr. Martina Rieker Fall 2019 i Acknowledgements To my mom, the woman whose experiences have opened my eyes, Thanaa Mohamed Ali. To my dearest sisters, Ghada and Kholoud. To my lovely father, Ahmed Eldamaty. To Mohamed, my partner, thanks for the support, the intimacy, and the love you give me. To my dear nieces, Taline and Celine. To the women who shared my life with me at al-Mahalla al-Kubra for more than 20 years. To the friend who shares my inner thoughts, speaking them out loud, Alaa Hosny. To Hind Mahmoud, the friend who never compromises her feminist beliefs. To Marina Joseph, the friend who visited me while I was doubting my activism, and feminism, encouraging me to apply for that Master degree. To the women who trusted me, allowing me to enter their lives, for my coauthors in this research. To the women who gave me that honor to share sensitive parts of their istiqlal journeys. To the women who took the January 25th revolution seriously, and those who believed in them. To the newcomers, the outsiders, and the othered. To those who have to write their own history. To every woman who has been told that her experiences, and beliefs are not a political priority. To the women who have realized that social movements are evoked in their kitchen. This thesis is dedicated to all of you. Thanks for being here. ii Abstract Following the Egyptian revolution of January, the 25th, 2011, the term women’s independence, istiqlal ijtma’ay, has been widely used by young Egyptian women. A mustaqilla (independent woman) identifies herself as a woman who is socio-economically independent from her family, lives on her own, and works to support herself. This thesis is concerned with the emergence of independent women, mustaqillat, as a social phenomenon, and questions how the phenomenon of istiqlal is constructed. What are its socio-economic dimensions, and associated meanings? Based on an ethnographic fieldwork with a group of Egyptian women who identify themselves as mustaqillat, this thesis focuses on mustaqillat who moved from their governorates to Cairo, and other cities in Egypt, for the purpose of having a greater mobility. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Prologue ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 4 Contextualization ......................................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................ 9 1. Family as a Historic Institution ......................................................................................... 9 2. Moralizing and Securitizing the Social ........................................................................... 14 3. Reconstructing Home ...................................................................................................... 17 4. On Egyptian Feminisms .................................................................................................. 19 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................ 21 1. Family and Gender Relations .......................................................................................... 21 2. Securitization and Public Moralities ............................................................................... 22 3. Remaking Home and Subjectivities ................................................................................ 23 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 24 Chapters’ Summary .................................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2 Contextualizing Istiqlal ................................................................................... 28 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 28 Destabilizing Social Order ........................................................................................................ 28 Istiqlal and Freedom of Mobility .............................................................................................. 31 Taking the Revolution Home .................................................................................................... 38 Politics of Subversion ................................................................................................................ 42 Politics of Securitization ........................................................................................................... 50 The Youth Crisis ........................................................................................................................ 54 iv Chapter 3 Mustaqillat and The City ................................................................................ 56 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 56 Searching for Flatmates, Women-Only! ................................................................................. 56 The Interconnected Authority of Doormen, Landowners, and the State ............................. 59 Gendered Safety and the Right to City ..................................................................................... 65 Mustaqillat Stories at Bein al-Sarayat ...................................................................................... 71 Navigating the City .................................................................................................................... 76 Chapter 4 Remaking Home .............................................................................................. 79 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 79 Re-appropriation and Ownership: Make It Feel like Home .................................................. 79 Negotiating Sexual Pleasure for Gendered Safety .................................................................. 84 Day-To-Day Practices: Navigating Personal Spaces and Privacy ........................................ 88 Reflective Homes ....................................................................................................................... 97 Chapter 5 Istiqlal as an Affective Experience ............................................................... 100 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 100 The Strong Independent Woman ............................................................................................. 100 Fragmented Subjectivities ...................................................................................................... 104 Solidarity as an Affect ............................................................................................................. 106 Mustaqillat and Collective Mobilization ................................................................................ 113 Chapter 6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 117 From Family to Larger Community ...................................................................................... 117 The State as The Social Guardian .......................................................................................... 118 The Price Paid for Istiqlal ....................................................................................................... 122 Focus of Study and Further Research ................................................................................... 124 Appendix: Mustaqillat’s Personal Narratives ............................................................... 126 Beyond .................................................................................................................................. 126 v Relocation ............................................................................................................................. 128 Elsewhere .............................................................................................................................. 132 Me and Myself .....................................................................................................................