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Contested meanings in the Egyptian revolution

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Author

Summary, in English

The 2011 Egyptian revolution was carried out under a banner notable for its distinct lack of divisive sectarian or political ideology. Two-and-a-half years later, the post-revolutionary scene looks strikingly different: a popularly supported military coup has ousted the country’s first democratically elected president, and the population is profoundly polarized. A common narrative is the so-called hijacking of the revolution by Islamists; however, this implies that the revolution has one defined meaning whose parameters are commonly recognized. I argue against this. Using Dobry’s (1983) concept of multisectorial mobilization, the article dissects the myth of a unified mass movement and argues instead in favor of “dispersed mobilization”. The differences in interpretation of the revolution’s slogans are exposed, revealing the ideational contestation in demands and goals and how these are translated into specific political battles. In this sense, the revolution should not be conceived as merely the 18 days of anti-Mubarak protest but rather a continuous process still underway.

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Publication/Series

Socio

Volume

2

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme

Topic

  • Political Science

Keywords

  • Egyptian revolution
  • multisectorial mobilization
  • frames
  • meaning construction

Status

Published

Research group

  • Middle East politics
  • Freds- och konfliktforskning

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2266-3134