Contested Legitimacies: Repression and Revolt in Post-Revolutionary Egypt

Contested Legitimacies explores the resilience of contentious politics in Egypt post-Mursi, highlighting the impact of battles fought in a discursive arena on the conditions of possibility for street politics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 10 February 2022
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press

Since the overthrow of President Mursi in mid-2013, Egypt has witnessed an authoritarian rollback and shrinking spaces for civil society. Nationalist discourses have villified popular protest and channelled pressure for reform into a state-centric model of governance. Despite this hostile environment for social mobilization, protest has persisted. Contested Legitimacies explores this resilience of contentious politics through a multimethod approach that is attuned to the physical and discursive interactions among key players in Egypts protest arena. Drawing from a unique archive of sources, it investigates the rise and fall of different coalitions of contenders, from the Tamarod uprising against Mursi, to the Anti-Coup resistance against the military coup, to the challenges posed by the Tiran and Sanafir island campaign to Al-Sisi's regime. It highlights the decisive impact of battles fought in a discursive arena on the conditions of possibility for street politics:

In postrevolutionary Egypt, a contest over the meaning of political legitimacy cemented political polarization, limited social movements' coalition choices, and ultimately paved the way for a restoration of autocracy.

The authoritarian rollback in Egypt since the overthrow of President Mursi in mid-2013 has resulted in a shrinking space for civil society and a resurgence of nationalist discourses that have vilified popular protest. Despite this challenging environment, protest has persisted, driven by the resilience of contentious politics. Contested Legitimacies, a comprehensive study, explores this resilience through a multimethod approach that examines the physical and discursive interactions among key players in Egypt's protest arena. Drawing from a unique archive of sources, the book investigates the rise and fall of different coalitions of contenders, ranging from the Tamarod uprising against Mursi to the Anti-Coup resistance against the military coup and the challenges posed by the Tiran and Sanafir island campaign to Al-Sisi's regime.

The study highlights the decisive impact of battles fought in a discursive arena on the conditions of possibility for street politics. It demonstrates how the contest over political legitimacy has polarized political discourse, limited social movements' coalition choices, and ultimately paved the way for a restoration of autocracy. The book sheds light on the complex dynamics that shape Egypt's political landscape and offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the country's protest movements.

In conclusion, Contested Legitimacies is a crucial contribution to the study of contentious politics in postrevolutionary Egypt. Through its multimethod approach and rich archive of sources, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the resilience of contentious politics in a hostile environment. It sheds light on the complex dynamics that shape Egypt's political landscape and offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the country's protest movements.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789463722650