The Egyptians: A Radical Story

Description

The essential book about Egypt and radical politics Egypt is a nation in turmoil, caught in a cycle of revolution and counter-revolution. In The Egyptians- A Radical Story, Jack Shenker uncovers the historical roots of today's unrest and reveals a land divided between two irreconcilable political orders- authoritarian power and grassroots resistance. Challenging conventional analyses that focus only on the battle between Islamists and secular forces, he travels the Arab World's most populous country to explore other, far more important fault lines - the communities waging war against transnational corporations, the people subverting long-established gender norms, the workers seizing control of their factories, and the novelists, graffiti artists and back-alley DJs defying their repressive regime. Showing that the revolution was no isolated episode but rather part of an ongoing struggle against state authority and economic exclusion, Shenker explains why recent events are so threatening to elites both inside Egypt and abroad. While Egyptian rulers seek to eliminate dissent, seeded within the politics of the young generation are forms of democracy, social justice and resistance that could yet change the world.

Jack Shenker is a journalist based in London and Cairo, whose reporting has spanned the globe. Formerly Egypt correspondent for The Guardian, his coverage of the Egyptian revolution received multiple prizes. In 2012, his investigation into the deaths of African migrants in the Mediterranean was named news story of the year at the prestigious One World media awards.

Refreshing... What distinguishes his writing from others' is his presence in the slums, factories and homes where Egyptians first began questioning their relations with their rulers. Mr Shenker evokes despair at the economy of this badly run country, but also surprising hope for its future, thanks to a young generation that says it is "no longer prepared to put up with the old crap". * Economist, Books of the Year * I started reading this and couldn't stop. It's a remarkable piece of work, and very revealing. A stirring rendition of a people's revolution as the popular forces that Shenker vividly depicts carry forward their many and varied struggles, with radical potential that extends far beyond Egypt -- Noam Chomsky This superbly written book documents the great victories - and terrible setbacks - of a people thirsting for democracy and social justice. A courageous writer who gives voice to the hopes and fears of the people of Egypt -- Owen Jones Meticulous, carefully researched and passionately argued... The Egyptians is not just about the revolution, it is an act within it -- Ahdaf Soueif * Guardian * Well-researched and absorbing... a people's history of the revolution that avoids the drama of high politics to foreground instead the activists and campaigners who laid the foundations for Tahrir Square... A refreshing, original take on a country with an uncertain future -- Sameer Rahim * Daily Telegraph * Shenker's book understands the Egyptian Spring, and the counter-strikes against it, as a deeper social process that, far from being over, will continue driving revolutionary upheaval in the years to come. He reframes political events as the products of social and technological change. And, above all, he refuses to give up hope. This is the deepest and most comprehensive account of Egypt's revolution in the English language, and it will set the agenda for debate throughout the Arab world -- Paul Mason Jack Shenker cuts through the complacent cliches and self-flattering illusions of foreign correspondents and experts to produce an intimate and comprehensive portrait of contemporary Egypt, which is as historically informed as it is politically shrewd -- Pankaj Mishra Inspirational... [Shenker's] analysis is acutely clear-sighted, given the chaos of recent events. The book mixes a hawk's eye view of the forces of global capitalism as applied to Egypt with a vivid worm's eye view of what it is like to be caught up in a revolution. This is a passionate book, but not an unbalanced one... it tells stories that need to be told, and which have been widely ignored -- George Arney * Independent * Riveting and elegantly written... an immense and humane portrait of the trials and aspirations of the Egyptian people - -- Gerald Butt * Literary Review * Shenker has written what amounts to a contemporary history of injustice... Shenker is a sensitive interlocutor; the stories he relates comprise a stirring mise en valeur of a struggle for human dignity -- Maria Golia * TLS * Shenker is one of the best observers of the current scene in Egypt -- Khaled Fahmy, Professor of history at the American University in Cairo