From The Street to The Square: Egypt, Representation and Revolution.

Professor Phil Marfleet, University of East London 

For decades, perspectives on political change in the Middle East were shaped by notions of “Arab exceptionalism”. Academic analyses in Europe and North America focused on the persistence of authoritarian rule and on the unruly, unpredictable “Arab street” – both seen as impediments to meaningful change. Revolutionary upheavals which began in 2011 at first challenged these views – but the complex, contradictory nature of the Arab Spring, especially in Egypt, has brought renewed scepticism about political processes in the region.

In this talk, Philip Marfleet examines assumptions about popular protest in the Arab world, how these have been challenged by the Tahrir uprising in Egypt, and recently refurbished by those who maintain that political cultures of the region inhibit significant change.

Philip Marfleet is Professor in the School of Law and Social Sciences at the University of East London. His main areas of work are migration, globalisation, and social and political change in the contemporary Middle East. Among recent publications on Egypt are: (2013) “Mubarak’s Egypt – nexus of criminality”, in State Crime, Vol 2, No 2; (2012) “Egypt – never ‘one hand’ ”, in Gonzalez, M. & Barekat, H. (eds) Arms and the People: Popular Movements and the Military from the Paris Commune to the Arab Spring, London, Pluto; and (2009) with Rabab El-Mahdi, (eds) Egypt: the moment of change. London, Zed.

Lecture Theatre G7, School Humanities, Faculty of Arts, University of Brighton, Pavilion Street (opposite The Royal Pavilion)

ALL WELCOME