Bread, Freedom, Social Justice: Workers and the Egyptian Revolution

by Anne Alexander, Mostafa Bassiouny

Overview

Accounts of the Arab Spring often focus on the role of youth coalitions, the use of social media, and the tactics of the Tahrir Square occupation. This authoritative and original book argues that collective action by organised workers played a fundamental role in the Egyptian revolution, which erupted after years of strikes and social protests.

Drawing on the authors' decade-long experience of reporting on and researching the Egyptian labour movement, the book provides the first in-depth account of the emergence of independent trade unions and workers' militancy during Mubarak's last years in power, and and their destabilising impact on the post-revolutionary regimes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780324302
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/09/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Anne Alexander is a research fellow at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge. She has published widely on Middle Eastern politics, social movements and digital media, and is the author of a biography of Gamal Abdel-Nasser (2005).

Mostafa Bassiouny has more than a decade's experience as a reporter and editor in the Egyptian and regional press. He was industrial correspondent for Al-Dustour newspaper between 2005 and 2010, reporting on the mass strikes by textile workers in Mahalla al-Kubra in 2006 and 2007, and the uprising which rocked the town in 2008. He reported on the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia in January 2011 before returbaning to Egypt to participate in the uprising against Mubarak. Between 2011 and 2014 he was Head of News for liberal daily Al-Tahrir and is currently Egypt correspondent for the Lebanese daily Al-Safir.
Anne Alexander is a research fellow at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge. She has published widely on Middle Eastern politics, social movements and digital media, and is the author of a biography of Gamal Abdel-Nasser (2005).

Mostafa Bassiouny has more than a decade's experience as a reporter and editor in the Egyptian and regional press. He was industrial correspondent for Al-Dustour newspaper between 2005 and 2010, reporting on the mass strikes by textile workers in Mahalla al-Kubra in 2006 and 2007, and the uprising which rocked the town in 2008. He reported on the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia in January 2011 before returbaning to Egypt to participate in the uprising against Mubarak. Between 2011 and 2014 he was Head of News for liberal daily Al-Tahrir and is currently Egypt correspondent for the Lebanese daily Al-Safir.

Table of Contents

Introduction: From the Republic of Tahrir to the Republic of Fear? Theorising revolution and counter-revolution in Egypt 2011-2014
1.From Nasserism to neoliberalism: a new amalgam of state and private capital
2.The changing structure of the Egyptian working class in the neoliberal era
3.Strikes, protests and the development of a revolutionary crisis
4. Organisation in the workplace before the revolution: the Nasserist model in crisis
5. From strike committee to independent union
6.The revolution’s social soul: workers and the January Revolution
7. Workers’ organisations since the revolution
8.The crisis of representation: workers and elections
9. Tathir: the struggle to cleanse the state
Conclusion: Beyond the Republic of Dreams: revolutionary organisation, democracy and the question of the state

Editorial Reviews

In this engaging and immensely readable text, Alexander and Bassiouny confirm their position as two of the most astute observers of Egypt's labour movements. Firmly grounded in recent debates around neoliberalism, capitalism and the Egyptian state - and drawing upon a wealth of fascinating first-hand accounts - this book provides many critical insights into Egyptian workers and their ongoing struggles. It deserves to be very widely read.” —Adam Hanieh, SOAS, University of London

“Here at last is a book on Egypt that acknowledges and traces the pivotal role of the workers in the sequence of events that led to the gigantic uprising of January-February 2011, and the subsequent unfolding of the revolutionary process. In a field dominated by studies focusing exclusively on political movements and state apparatus, this is a most welcome and important contribution” —Professor Gilbert Achcar, SOAS, University of London, and author of The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising

“This is an intriguing and detailed account of why the role of the working class needs to be put centre stage in understanding the toppling of Hosni Mubarak. The authors provide insight and analytical rigour in documenting and accounting for the growth and dynamism of independent trade unions in "revolutionary" Egypt. A must read for those who want to know how and why the working class is essential to understanding political and economic crisis in Egypt.” —Professor Ray Bush, University of Leeds

“One of the best accounts on the Egyptian revolution, its underlying causes and its aftermath. The book is an accessible and in-depth read for both specialists and non-specialists alike, not only deciphering the workings of one of the most important political events in recent years, but also providing a comprehensive analysis of structural changes in modern Egypt.” —Rabab El Mahdi, The American University in Cairo

From the Publisher