Resistance, Revolt, and Gender Justice in Egypt - (Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East) by Mariz Tadros (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

On December 20, 2011, Egyptian women of all ages and backgrounds--urban and rural, working class and upper class--came out in force to Cairo's Tahrir Square in one of the largest uprisings in the country's history. The demonstrators gathered as citizens and likewise as women demanding social change and the right to gender equality. The size and impact of that uprising underscore the vital importance of women activists to what became known as the Arab Spring.

In Resistance, Revolt, and Gender Justice in Egypt, Tadros charts the arc of the Egyptian women's movement, capturing the changing dynamics of gender activism over the course of two decades. She explores the interface between feminist movements, Islamist forces, and three regime ruptures in the battle over women's status in Egyptian society and politics. Parsing the factors that contribute to the success and failure of activist movements, Tadros provides valuable insight on sustaining social change and a vitally important perspective on women's evolving status in a contemporary authoritarian context.

Review Quotes

An important contribution to the literature on women's movements in the Arab world as well as to theoretical debates about transitions to democracy and collective action.-- "Hoda Elsadda, author of Gender, Nation, and the Arabic Novel: Egypt, 1892-2008"

An important resource for students and scholars of anthropology, gender studies, sociology, political science, and development studies both within and outisde the Middle East context.-- "Al Jadid"

Drawing on over two decades of activist engagement with struggles for gender justice in Egypt, this volume is rich in case studies, new findings and valuable lessons about the multiple entanglements of mobilization for gender equality with contestations over political power, governance and authority.-- "Deniz Kandiyoti, emeritus professor of development studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London"

Tadros offers detailed and fascinating case studies of some major campaigns launched during the later Mubarak era, when activists worked under the dual challenge of an authoritarian regime and widespread popular hostility to women's rights.-- "Women's Review of Books"

Tadros's study of the Egyptian women's movement following 2011 explains its 'red lines' while providing rich and nuanced empirical anlaysis of the women's movement's organizational, ideological, and legal challenges.-- "Diane Singerman, Editor of Cairo Contested: Governance, Urban Space, and Global Modernity"

The best empirical profile of women's political activism in Egypt in the contemporary era. It is detailed, readable, and well organized. It serves as a very welcome addition to feminist scholarship and post-revolutionary politics in Egypt.-- "Choice"

About the Author

Mariz Tadros is a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. She is the author of The Muslim Brotherhood in Contemporary Egypt: Democracy Redefined or Confined?