The Egyptian Coffeehouse - by Dalia Mostafa & Amina Elbendary (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The coffeehouse is a microcosm of the larger Egyptian society with its history of multiculturalism and great diversity. It is not only a social space which was created and shaped by the people over decades in their streets, neighbourhoods and cities, but it also occupies a sphere in the popular imagination full of stories, memories and social networks. Despite the coffeehouse's cultural centrality and socio-political importance in Egypt, academic research and publications on its significance remain sparse. This volume aims to fill this gap by presenting, for the first time in English, a full study analysing the importance of the coffeehouse as an urban phenomenon, with its cultural, historical, economic and political significance in contemporary Egyptian society. The volume shows how historically the coffeehouse has always played a key role as a commercial enterprise; and culturally, as a place for rich literary and artistic production which has multi-layered representations in Egyptian novels, cinema and popular music, amongst other genres. Economically, the coffeehouse has been vital for accessing job opportunities, especially for informal workers; in addition to having played a crucial role in political mobilisation during decisive historical events, as well as in recent years during the 2011 revolution and its aftermath. Through extended interviews with six residents in Cairo, the authors further examine the role and influence of the coffeehouse as a significant feature of contemporary Egyptian life and urban landscape.

Review Quotes

"This original and much needed study establishes the cultural importance of the Egyptian coffeehouse both in terms of its social history and in terms of its iconic representation in literature, film and musical performance. In exploring the coffeehouse as a hub of friendships, creativity and activism the study wonderfully illuminates how coffeehouse dynamics are continuous with Egypt's periodic revolutions." - Caroline Rooney, University of Kent, UK

"This book is a brilliant example of cultural studies where the site of the coffeehouse is selected to throw light on its role and development in Egyptian society. Using cultural history, urban sociology, literary criticism, interviews, photos, and film scenes related to Egyptian cafés demonstrates a successful interdisciplinary approach and contributes to reading the coffeehouse as a metonym of an evolving society. The book is both informative and entertaining, accessible to the general reader and thought-provoking to the specialist." - Ferial Ghazoul, The American University in Cairo, Egypt

About the Author

Dalia Said Mostafa is Lecturer in Arabic and Comparative Literature in the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Department, the University of Manchester, UK. She also teaches contemporary cinema of the Middle East and North Africa. She has published extensively on Arabic and comparative literature, Middle Eastern cinema, and popular culture in Egypt.She is the author of The Egyptian Military in Popular Culture: Context and Critique (2017), and the editor of Women, Culture, and the January 2011 Egyptian Revolution (2017).

Amina Elbendary is Associate Professor of History at the Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations, the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Her research interests include Arabic historiography, Mamluk social and cultural history, and Islamic political thought. She is the author of Crowds and Sultans: Urban Protest in Late Medieval Egypt and Syria (2015).