Authoritarian resilience, a concept mostly debated within the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), describes the durability and strengths of authoritarian regimes in resisting...Show moreAuthoritarian resilience, a concept mostly debated within the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), describes the durability and strengths of authoritarian regimes in resisting the pressure of democratisation. Both authoritarian consolidation, referring to the employment of authoritarian tactics by a regime to increase its stability, as well as the related sub-concept of authoritarian adaptation, meaning learning processes of a regime and respective adjustment of these authoritarian tactics in the wake of challenges to a regime, are crucial to the understanding of the debate on authoritarian resilience. Drawing on scholarship on this debate, most notably the theoretical conceptualisations by Göbel, who classified the tactics for authoritarian regime survival into despotic, infrastructural, and discursive powers, I develop a theoretical framework for regime consolidation in the wake of popular discontent and protest. Applying the framework to the case study of the authoritarian Al-Sisi regime in Egypt shows how the regime adapted its tactics to consolidate in the light of the challenges of popular discontent and protest and ultimately survived. This underscores the significance of the concept of authoritarian consolidation to authoritarian resilience. Furthermore, it substantiates how the skilful and well-integrated application of authoritarian adaptation contributes to authoritarian stability. Therefore, such an analysis provides a more comprehensive understanding of authoritarian regime dynamics and the concept of authoritarian resilience.Show less
The study covers the topic of sustainable development and the tourism industry in Egypt with a special focus on environmental degradation. The overarching research question for the study is ‘How...Show moreThe study covers the topic of sustainable development and the tourism industry in Egypt with a special focus on environmental degradation. The overarching research question for the study is ‘How does the tourism industry affect sustainable development in Egypt?’ Three case studies were used in order to demonstrate how the industry has affected the environment of the Red Sea. Based on the analysis of the case studies conclusions have been drawn concerning the effect on environmental degradation and how this subsequently affect the other two areas of sustainable development, social and economic development, in the long – term. The results of the paper show that the tourism industry, although it may have short – term positive social and economic effects, have long – term overall negative effects. The focus on long – term development here is critical for this conclusion, since sustainable development implies long – term development through which the current generation can fulfil their needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to fulfil theirs. If the tourism industry continues their current practices of environmental degradation, it will destroy the very environment on which the industry relies for many of its activities but also the very environment on which humanity relies. Environmental degradation of the Red Sea in particular also affects the fishing industry which is another important sector of the Egyptian economy. A loss of revenue both within the sector itself, and other economic sectors relying on the environment may lead to increased unemployment and thus a decrease in general social well – being. This demonstrates how the tourism industry can have long – term negative economic and social effects on the society as a whole. Lastly, the discussion brings up the issue that political instability causes to the tourism sector and the relationship between them. A faltering tourism industry as a result of environmental degradation can contribute to further political unrest due to increased environmental and economic difficulties, thus creating a vicious cycle of negative effects. This clearly demonstrates the importance of developing sustainable practices within the tourism industry, not just for economic reasons within the industry, but for the stability of the Egyptian society as a whole.Show less
“Sexual harassment in Egypt is a severe problem that affects almost all women in the country. The presence of the class struggle in Egypt, has influenced the way perpetrators and victims from...Show more“Sexual harassment in Egypt is a severe problem that affects almost all women in the country. The presence of the class struggle in Egypt, has influenced the way perpetrators and victims from certain classes are being perceived. Victims who are part of the upper-middle class in Egypt are overrepresented in the media, whereas women from lower classes who have experienced gender-based violence, are often neglected and their stories are mostly silenced. This class discrimination is also visible when analysing the treatment of perpetrators. Working-class, unemployed youth are often perceived as the typical sexual violator, while in reality women are being sexually harassed and assaulted by men from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Nevertheless, perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault that are part of the working-class, are overrepresented in Egypt and portrayed as if they are the only group that is guilty of these atrocities. This class discrimination is a result of the increasing securitisation of Egypt’s government, mostly after the revolution in 2011. This securitization has resulted in the working class in Egypt becoming even more marginalized and criminalized by nature”Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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Since the 1990s the field of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology has gained more traction in Egyptology. Since then it has been used to illuminate the experienced landscape(s) of the ancient...Show moreSince the 1990s the field of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology has gained more traction in Egyptology. Since then it has been used to illuminate the experienced landscape(s) of the ancient Egyptians. This thesis seeks to critically examine this approach and further illuminate the experienced landscape in ancient Egypt, specifically its role in religion. To this end, the author poses three primary research questions: 1) Did landscape influence the conception of places of power? 2) Do landscape associations change over time, and if they do: how do they change? 3) Did Egypt’s physical landscape influence conceptions of the landscapes of the afterlife? The sources reveal that the Egyptians experienced the landscape as embodied and meaningful. Iconography and text also support the notion of locations in the landscape which were infused with meaning beyond the mundane. These places of power sometimes held a strong relation with the surrounding landscape. In certain cases it is likely that a landscape-induced hierophany was the direct cause for their inception. Yet, it is difficult to ascribe a single coherent characteristic to these locations. Egypt’s physical landscape did not only influence experiences of religious awe, but also influenced the conception of landscapes of the afterlife. The afterlife reflects a bucolic ideal of Egypt’s physical landscape. Some scholars have proposed specific referents for the landscapes of the afterlife, but it seems imprudent to attribute such specific Vorlage-landscapes to these religious ideas. Phenomenological Landscape Archaeology allows us to further investigate landscape experience in ancient Egypt. Yet, a recurring issues in the implementation of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology is the over-excitement of Egyptologists to attribute a meaning to landscape features which has little or no support in the extant sources. This treacherous pitfall stems from the inability to acknowledge the difference in spatial conceptualisation between us and the ancient Egyptians, and the all-too-easy assumption that our views of extraordinary geomorphology are similar to those of the ancient Egyptians. Therefore, this thesis warns against all-too-quick attributions of the influence of landscape on the inception and meaning of religious locales.Show less
A discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries...Show moreA discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries of enormous natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean are having a paradigm shifting effect on the international relations of the region. Hence, the research question that drives this thesis is the following. What will the impact of the natural gas be on the international relations of the states of the Eastern Mediterranean? This paper will show that natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean has led to greater cooperation and regionalisation and will continue to do so in the future. However, this paper will also show the limitations of the beneficial effects of cooperation over natural resources. The relevancy of this topic stems from it alluding to an important question, whether natural resources are a blessing or a curse. For many countries the discovery of natural resources has led to great wealth and development. However, for many others it has been a burden leading to less development and growth or even weakening democracy. Resources and the competition over them can also lead to conflict and it is this realm of the international political consequences of the resources that this paper is focused on.Show less
“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes...Show more“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes at the international level allowing different states to shift their perceived power. Their positions actively affects the discourse, influencing processes like agenda-setting, policy-making and hydropower plans. This paper analyses the struggle between Egypt and Ethiopia within the hydro-hegemonic framework assessing the different practices employed by Cairo to (re-)assert its position as the most powerful player in the Nile River Basin complex, the hegemon.”Show less
This thesis investigates the effects of neoliberalism on labour and the social reproduction of labour. The thesis provides a literature review of the extensive literature on neoliberalism in...Show moreThis thesis investigates the effects of neoliberalism on labour and the social reproduction of labour. The thesis provides a literature review of the extensive literature on neoliberalism in general and in Egypt before providing a historical account of neoliberal reforms and their effect on the corporatist bargain between labour and the state. It then proceeds to discuss the effects of neoliberalism on informality, welfare and repression. The thesis argues that on all these fronts workers have been increasingly marginalised and forced to live in substandard conditions. Neoliberalism has caused a spike in informal employment and informal settlements. This informality results in decreased working conditions, wages and housing conditions. Another effect of the neoliberal reforms was the reduction of state provision of welfare. This vacuum was filled by private actors, often those families and individuals who benefitted from the neoliberal reforms in the first place. Labour is now dependent on private actors to provide services, which used to be a right based on citizenship. Harvey characterises neoliberal reforms as accumulation through dispossession. Lastly, the thesis claims that resistance to this dispossession has been effectively repressed through legal obstacles, Sisi-linked media narratives securitising resistance and an increased security apparatus. Overall, workers have suffered the brunt of neoliberal reform to the benefit of a select group of elites, who now attempt to form a coalition with the security forces to maintain stability, prevent another 2011 and maintain their accumulated wealth.Show less
In the past decades the global foreign aid system has witnessed the rise of a new, or rather re- emerging, group of donors (Woods Ngaire 2008; Momani and Ennis 2012; Young 2017). The UAE is one of...Show moreIn the past decades the global foreign aid system has witnessed the rise of a new, or rather re- emerging, group of donors (Woods Ngaire 2008; Momani and Ennis 2012; Young 2017). The UAE is one of these aid donors, having established a foreign aid system in its founding year 1971. Due to the lack of transparency in its aid practices and the small size of the country, the UAE’s aid practices have been understudied. However, some moves towards greater transparency have developed and thus renewed investigation into this question is possible (Almezaini 2012). One of the UAE’s major foreign aid beneficiaries is Egypt, particularly since 2013 when the largest share of UAE foreign aid was directed to the country (MICAID 2014). This thesis analyzes the motivations driving UAE aid to Egypt since 2011. In so doing, it outlines theories of aid allocation and proposes an alternative to the theory of constructivism. Moreover, it posits that the motivations driving UAE aid to Egypt are twofold: a desire to influence Egypt’s political landscape and a perceived threat of rising Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam rhetoric in a regionally influential country.Show less
“Gender studies has mostly concentrated on femininity in issues of patriarchal power. Men’s studies are an emerging field that take feminist scholarship and adds a new viewpoint to it by looking at...Show more“Gender studies has mostly concentrated on femininity in issues of patriarchal power. Men’s studies are an emerging field that take feminist scholarship and adds a new viewpoint to it by looking at the social structure around males. This article defines hegemonic and marginalized masculinities in Egypt and seeks to map out the influence the state has on creation, reproduction, and manipulation of these concepts. Rising from the context of neoliberal reforms, the security state is discriminating against a certain part of the population, especially working-class young men. They feel emasculated by the state authorities, while simultaneously manipulated into conforming to the hegemonic masculinity that the state promotes. Looking at the influence of the Egyptian security state on gender dynamics opens up a possibility to place gender topics into the wider understanding of the significant global patterns.”Show less
