I. B. Tauris & Company Youth Activism in Egypt: Islamism, Political Protest and Revolution (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

The protests that spread across the Middle East and North Africa in late 2010 and early 2011 took media commentators, academics and the ruling classes of these countries by surprise. In this book, Ahmed Tohamy analyses the often-neglected trajectory that led up to the protests in Egypt that culminated in the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Tohamy's assertion is that by examining the decade preceding this momentous event, we see that the youth movement - far from being inert - was extremely active. Tohamy uses the Social Movements Theory to argue how Egyptian youth became a new agent of change in the Middle East. By positioning the youth activists as dynamically engaging with their social and political contexts within a framework of opportunities and constraints, his analysis strikes at the heart of the debates concerning the nature and substance of revolution and its effects on state and society. Review 'Ahmed Tohamy provides us with a much needed exploration of Egyptian youth through the theoretical lens of (new) social movement theory. This important book tracks Egyptian youth activism through the modern era, locating the events since the overthrow of President Mubarak in 2011 within a longer historical trajectory whilst offering insights into structures and processes of both continuity and change. At a time when youth is being uncritically fetishized as a social category in the Arab region, this kind of detailed and theoretically-informed study becomes all the more important.' - --Emma Murphy, Professor and Head of School, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University 'Youth Activism in Egypt offers lively perspectives on a significant issue that will shape the future of the Middle East region. Informative scholarship, enjoyable read, and thought-provoking analysis... much needed for policy makers, yet accessible to non-specialists.' - --Emad El-Din Shahin, Visiting Professor, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University About the Author Ahmed Tohamy lectures at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, where he recently received his PhD.