Strategic Alliance vs. Multisectorial Mobilization: Understanding the Shifting Position of the Youth Revolutionary Movement in Tri-­‐Polar Egypt

Summary, in English

This paper stems from an inductive research problem: the support given to the military-deep state by the youth revolutionary movement in Egypt’s political upheavals of summer 2013. Why would the youth revolutionary movement choose to support the military-deep state’s political maneuverings, and what is the precise nature of this support? To answer these questions, this paper chooses to explore two different analytical frameworks that start with different base assumptions and end with quite different interpretations. The first framework is focused on the concept of strategic choice; here, the position of the youth revolutionary movement is understood as an active decision taken in order to further the achievement of the movement’s goals. The second framework emphasizes the concept of multisectorial mobilization; here, the position of the youth revolutionary movement is a product of political crisis and the fleeting unification of social space. Though both frameworks suffer from shortcomings, the inclination is to support the explanation of multisectorial mobilization. In this sense, the position of the youth revolutionary movement in the face of a military coup is less an active choice made to further movement goals than a result of the unpredictable dynamics and associated interpretations of the crisis itself.

• Author: Sarah Anne Rennick
• Department/s: Department of Political Science
• Publishing year: 2013
• Language: English
• Full text: - 264 kB; Download statistics
• Document type: Conference paper
• Topic: Political Science
• Keywords: Egypt; revolution; social movement; strategy; mobilization
• Conference name: Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference 2013
• Conference date: 2013-10-11
• Conference place: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
• Status: Published
• Research group: Middle East politics; Freds- och konfliktforskning