Skip to content
openDemocracy
Sign in Subscribe

The missing element in Egypt: a sense of belonging

With decades of neoliberal policies, growing class divisions, and the demolition of public space, social belonging has vanished. The need to reclaim it has been a common factor in Egypt's mass mobilisations. عربي

By Sarah El Sheikh
Published:
Share
495445831.jpg
495445831.jpg

Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images. All rights reserved.In 2011, Egyptians took to the streets, revolting against 30 years of corrupt, oppressive, and regressive military rule. Eighteen days later, Mubarak stepped down. They did it!

In 2013, Egyptians took to the streets again calling upon the military to take over from their one-year-old democratically elected regime. Again, they did it!

In light of what seems to be a puzzling U-turn after the people's first democratic experience, a few questions ought to be asked: why did the people demand  one thing but very shortly after demand the extreme opposite? Who are these people? Are they the same masses revolting against their own demands? Or are they different groups with clashing demands?

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0