Civil society and political change in contemporary Egypt

Abstract

In the last decades, Egyptian civil society has expanded dramatically. Despite this, its workforce continues to be affected by some extremely restrictive laws that constrain freedom of association. This article analyses the role played by civil society organizations in the pre- and post-revolutionary periods, paying special attention to youth and trade union movements, organizations in defense of human rights and women’s associations. Since the fall of Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood and the army tried to prevent civil society from enjoying greater room for manoeuvre. Egypt’s new strongman, al-Sisi, appears determined to take up the preceding authoritarian dynamic, returning the military to the foreground of political life and persecuting all those who cross the red lines previously drawn by the regime, including civil society actors. Following the revolution of January 25, 2011, Egypt went through a period of upheaval during which the authoritarian model installed by Hosni Mubarak was questioned. The success of the mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square opened up a new phase during which the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) managed to seize power, which led to a marked ideological polarization at the heart of Egyptian society. The Islamist experiment was brought to an abrupt end with the overthrow of the president, Mohamed Morsi. Since then, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s new strongman has adopted various measures to re-establish the authoritarian system. This chapter analyses the role played by civil society organizations in the pre- and post-revolutionary periods, paying special attention to youth and trade union movements, organizations in defense of human rights and women’s associations. Even though their activities were severely curtailed, civil society organizations contributed decisively to mobilizing the citizens. Since the fall of Mubarak, as a result of attempts by the Egyptian authorities to limit the role of civil society by introducing increasingly restrictive laws, relations between the two have continued to deteriorate.