Egypt and the contradictions of liberalism : illiberal intelligentsia and the future of Egyptian democracy / edited by Dalia F. Fahmy & Daanish Faruqi.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Fahmy, Dalia, editor.

Faruqi, Daanish, editor.

Series:

Studies on Islam, human rights, and democracy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History.

Politics and government.

Intellectual life.

Egypt--Intellectual life--21st century.

Egypt.

Egypt--Politics and government--21st century.

Egypt--History--21st century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xii, 388 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

London, England : Oneworld, 2017.

Summary:

The liberal sentiments that stoked the Arab Spring and saw the ousting of long-time Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak seem a distant memory. Democratically elected president Mohammad Morsi lasted only a year before he was forced from power, being replaced by precisely the kind of authoritarianism protestors had been railing against in January 2011. Paradoxically, this turn of events was encouraged by the same liberal activists who had pushed for progressive reform under Mubarak. This volume analyses how such a key contingent of Egyptian liberals came to develop outright illiberal tendencies. Interdisciplinary in scope, it brings together experts in Middle East studies, political science, philosophy, Islamic studies and law to address the failure of Egyptian liberalism in a holistic manner. A work of impeccable scholarly rigour, Egypt and the Contradictions of Liberalism is vital to understanding the contemporary ramifications of the state of liberalism in Egypt today. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Egyptian liberals, from revolution to counterrevolution / Daanish Faruqi Faruqi, Daanish, Dalia F. Fahmy Fahmy, Dalia F. 1

Introduction 1

The genealogies of Egyptian liberalism 10

Structure of the argument 18

Conclusion: Is liberalism contradictory? 23

Section I Liberalism and The Egyptian State

2 Egypt's structural illiberalism: How a weak party system undermines participatory politics / Dalia F. Fahmy Fahmy, Dalia F. 31

The party system in Egypt 32

Elections in Egypt and why they matter 34

The parliament as a site of contestation 37

Political parties after the revolution: A liberal possibility 39

Participatory politics under SCAF and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood 44

The 2015 parliament: The political consolidation of authoritarian rule 50

Conclusion 52

3 Nasser's comrades and Sadat's brothers: Institutional legacies and the downfall of the Second Egyptian Republic / Hesham Sallam Sallam, Hesham 55

The failure of contingent consent 57

Institutional legacies and the limitations of agency- centered narratives 62

The origins of the political field 64

Conclusion 83

4 (De)liberalizing judicial independence in Egypt / Sahar F. Aziz Aziz, Sahar F. 85

The three prongs of liberalism: Private, political, and legal liberty 89

The liberal roots of Egypt's judiciary 93

Incremental deilberalization in the Mubarak era 96

A counterrevolution in the courts 103

Conclusion 117

Section II Liberalism and Egyptian Civil Society

5 The authoritarian state's power over civil society / Ann M. Lesch Lesch, Ann M. 121

The structures of authoritarianism 122

The post-25 January military regime 130

Mohammad Morsi's contradictory policies 141

General Sisi's constriction of the public space 146

The consolidation of authoritarian control 169

6 Myth or reality?; The discursive construction of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt / Mohamad Elmasry Elmasry, Mohamad 175

The Egyptian press system 177

Disloyal to Egypt 182

Anti-revolutionary 189

Conclusion 197

7 Student political activism in democratizing Egypt / Abdel-Fattah Mady Mady, Abdel-Fattah 199

Introduction 199

Emergence of Egypt's student movement 202

Student activism under Nasser 206

Student activism during Sadat's era 211

Student activism during Mubarak's era 217

Post-January 25, 2011 revolution 223

Conclusion 229

Section III Islam, Secularism, and the State

8 Egypt's secularized intelligentsia and the guardians of truth / Khaled Abou El Fadl Fadl, Khaled Abou El 235

9 The truncated debare: Egyptian liberals, Islamists, and ideological statism / Ahmed Abdel Meguid Meguid, Ahmed Abdel, Daanish Faruqi Faruqi, Daanish 253

Introduction 253

Liberals and the state: Authoritarian modernism 255

Islamists and the state: The modernist paradox 266 Conclusion: Post-Llamism and post-liberalism as post-statism 281

Section IV Egyptian Liberals in Comparative Perspective Post-2013

10 Conflict and reconciliation: "Arab liberalism" in Syria and Egypt / Emran El-Badawz El-Badawz, Emran 291

Introduction 291

State advocacy and the beginnings of Arab liberalism 292

Activism and state opposition: The later development of Arab liberalism 293

Egypt and Syria no more 294

Silencing liberal activism in Egypt, ca. 1979-2013 295

Activists in conflict and artists in reconciliation, Egypt, ca. 2013- 298

Temporary reconciliation with Assad, Syrian intellectuals, ca, 1982-2012 299

Conflict, exile and civil war: Liberal activism in Syria, ca. 2000-12 301

Burhan Ghalioun and Gaber Asfour, ca. 1990-2010 302

The Arab uprisings, 2011 305

Ghalioun and the SNC, 2011-12 306

Asfour, the ministry and Egypt's return to military rule, 2011-14 309

Rabaa 311

The limits of Arab liberalism 312

11 Egypt's new liberal crisis / Joel Gordon Gordon, Joel 317

Heroes of the revolution 320

The liberal crisis reconsidered 333

Postscript: Five years on 334

12 Egyptian liberals and their anti-democratic deceptions: A contemporary sad narrative / Amr Hamzawy Hamzawy, Amr 337

Liberal ideas at a crossroads 337

Grand deception one - Sequentialism 340

Grand deception two - Nothing is more important than... 342

Grand deception three - The notion of national necessity 343

Grand deception four - Religion and politics 346

Grand deception five - The state above everyone and everything 348

Concluding remarks - Fascist techniques stepped up 353.

Notes:

"A Oneworld Book"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781780748825

1780748825

OCLC:

915501531

Publisher Number:

99971553972