Zed Books Crisis and Class War in Egypt: Social Reproduction, Factional Realignments and the Global Political Economy

In 2011, capitals crisis erupted in Egyptian society. This eruption, and subsequent politics, have been misrepresented as revolutionary, as the working class was and is increasingly so devalued and disempowered. In Crisis and Class War in Egypt, Sean F. McMahon critically analyses Egypt's recent political history. He argues that the so-called 'revolution' was the appearance of capital's destruction of the value of the Egyptian working class and an existential crisis for capital. In response, productive capital in the form of the military used, disposed of and replaced its junior partners in governing; first the predatory capital of the Mubarak state with the commodity capital of the Muslim Brotherhood, and then commodity capital with the finance capital of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These reconfigurations have been expressed in all manner of reactionary governmental arrangements including constitutions, legislation and currency reform. Extending today's analysis into the near future, McMahon sees the war of Egyptian society intensifying, and increasingly violent lives for Egyptian workers. Review 'Employing the labour theory of value, McMahon delves into the underlying causes of the continuing crisis in Egypt. The analysis stands in stark contrast to the shallowness of Orientalist and neoliberal explanations of events. McMahon also predicts that an eruption between capital and labour is looming.’Ibrahim Aoude, editor, Arab Studies Quarterly‘Provides a remarkably detailed analysis of the neoliberal policies – both within Egypt and at a global level – that undermined the well-being of Egyptian workers and produced the desperation behind the uprising in 2011.’Harry Cleaver, University of Texas at Austin (Emeritus)'Offers an insightful perspective that is not often found in studies of Egyptian politics … Crisis and Class War in Egypt is a thought-provoking read that raises critical questions about Egypt’s recent past and carries important implications for its future.'Muslim World Book Review About the Author Sean F. McMahon is assistant professor of political science. He is editor, with Dan Tschirgi and Walid Kazziha, of Egypt's Tahrir Revolution (2013) and the author of The Discourse of PalestinianIsraeli Relations: Persistent Analytics and Practices (2010). Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Crisis and Class War in EgyptSocial Reproduction, Factional Realignments and the Global Political EconomyBy Sean F. McMahonZed Books LtdCopyright © 2017 Sean F. McMahonAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-78360-503-3ContentsFigures and tables, Acknowledgments, 1. Introduction, Appearance and essence, Analytical framework: materialist dialectics, Vulgar and fetishistic literature, Structure of the book, 2. Dialectical development of Egypt's crisis moment, Introduction, Producing the crisis of reproduction, Conclusion, 3. Fetishisms and factions, Fetishisms, Factions of capital, Egypt's social war, Conclusion, 4. Realignments and reform, Historicizing changing relations and their political forms of expression, Reform through crisis, 2013 political transmutation, Conclusion, 5. The coming eruption of crisis, Expressions of war, Contradictions at a higher stage, The sharper, the nearer, Notes, Bibliography, Index, CHAPTER 1IntroductionAppearance and essenceEgyptian society is at war. Appearances of this ongoing war have been misrepresented as revolutions. Starting on 25 January 2011 eighteen days of protest convulsed the country. Street battles raged in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. The headquarters of the ruling political party was burned. Internet service was severed. Public spaces were occupied and made the objects of sieges. A vice-president was appointed. Nine hundred protestors were killed. The long-serving president resigned. On 11 February the military, in the form of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), took power. Later, a constitutional referendum was