THE EXTRAORDINARY POLITICS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE: SPONTANEOUS NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS IN REVOLUTIONARY CAIROHassan, Hatem M. (2014) THE EXTRAORDINARY POLITICS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE: SPONTANEOUS NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS IN REVOLUTIONARY CAIRO. Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)
AbstractA revolution consists of more than sit-ins, marches, and strikes; it goes beyond the intellectual and mainstream debates about democracy, Islam, and authoritarianism and, most importantly, retreats from the major spaces of conflict. A revolution manifests itself in the back streets, far away from activists in Tahrir Square. To silence these spaces is to strip Egypt’s revolution of its most fascinating characteristics—its spontaneity and emergence from below. In this paper, I bring to light the everyday, local actions of ordinary1 Egyptians during the first 18 days of the revolution. On January 28th, 2011—as police abandoned the streets and Mubarak’s thugs led massive prison breaks—individuals went down to the streets to protect their families and property. Spontaneously, they organized with their neighbors, closing down blocks and setting up checkpoints to protect their streets. Within 24 hours, virtually every block and neighborhood in Cairo was run and operated by its residents. These groups, sometimes referred to as lijan sha’biyya (popular committees)—were heterogeneous in their tactics, organization, and efficacy. Yet collectively, these groups were a critical response to the vacuum created by the absence of the police and were one of the deciding factors of Mubarak’s downfall. How did individuals within neighborhood groups cooperate and interact with one another in the complete absence of the state? How did they foster new relationships, achieve their collective objectives, and restore stability? Finally, how do they retell and remember the “Popular Committee” experience long after its disappearance? In this essay, I answer these 1 The category “ordinary,” here, does not refer to “lower classes,” “popular forces,” or a subaltern group; ordinary are the Egyptians who, prior to 2011, were absent from the formal political realm—who did not identify as activists—whether it was due to (a) their disillusionment of politics in general or (b) their explicit marginalization by political and business elites. Share
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