Cambridge University Press Egypt in a Time of Revolution: Contentious Politics and the Arab Spring (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics)

This book considers the diverse forms of mass mobilization and contentious politics that emerged during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and its aftermath. Drawing on a catalogue of more than 8,000 protest events, as well as interviews, video footage and still photographs, Neil Ketchley provides the first systematic account of how Egyptians banded together to overthrow Husni Mubarak, and how old regime forces engineered a return to authoritarian rule. Eschewing top-down, structuralist and culturalist explanations, the author shows that the causes and consequences of Mubarak's ousting can only be understood by paying close attention to the evolving dynamics of contentious politics witnessed in Egypt since 2011. Setting these events within a larger social and political context, Ketchley sheds new light on the trajectories and legacies of the Arab Spring, as well as recurring patterns of contentious collective action found in the Middle East and beyond. Review 'Was Egypt's 'Arab Spring' a true revolution, or only a revolutionary situation that failed? And if the latter, was it squandered through a flawed revolutionary process or was it simply squashed by the regime's repressive apparatus? What was the role of collective violence, fraternization with the forces of order, and elite-facilitated contention in the revolutionary process? And what was the enduring heritage of its repertoire? A monument of theoretically inspired empirical analysis of this key episode of the Arab Spring.' Sidney Tarrow, author of Power in Movement'A sophisticated, intricately researched, compulsively readable account of the Egyptian uprising of 2011, the election that followed, and the counterrevolutionary moment. His attentiveness to the voices of the actors, while amply taking account of macro-political processes, and the lucidity of his writing makes this book a necessary addition not only to studies of Egyptian politics but to broader comparative scholarship on political contention.' Laleh Khalili, The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London'Elegantly crafted, brilliantly argued, and richly and evocatively evidenced, Ketchley's Egypt in a Time of Revolution is unparalleled in its methodological and theoretical sophistication and its empirical and analytical strengths … the single most impressive piece of scholarship on the so-called Arab Spring and one of the very best studies of contentious politics in a context of heightened political change and contingency. An outstanding piece of work.' John T. Sidel, Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science'Neil Ketchley has succeeded in writing a book that is both highly readable, indeed gripping in its narrative power, and theoretically engaged. [It is] immensely enriched by the quality of his detailed field research, as well as by his critical understanding of the dynamics of contentious politics and collective action …' Charles Tripp, The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London'Egypt in a Time of Revolution is without doubt a major contribution to the scholarly understanding of the Arab Spring and a valuable addition to the contentious politics literature.' Elisabeth Anderson, American Journal of Sociology Book Description This book provides the first systematic account of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 and its aftermath using a contentious politics framework. About the Author Neil Ketchley is a Lecturer in Middle East Politics at King's College London. He was a Hulme Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Brasenose College, University of Oxford from 2014–16. He received his PhD in Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.