Abstract

Why is the maneuvering of the tuktuks in certain elite spaces in Maadi a disruption to the fragile and in many ways, imaginary boundaries between people, spaces, objects, histories and narratives? How can one street, whether it is the one where I live or Street 9 where I did my fieldwork, encompass a wide range of lives and worlds that do not "touch"? Why is it ok for the tuktuk to be seen in Arab El Maadi, usually conceived as a lower-class neighborhood adjacent to Sarayat El- Maadi, but when it moves in Sarayat El-Sarayat, it becomes a disruption to the senses? Why is the tuktuk in motion contested in some areas, and what happens when it stays still in others? How do the elites of Maadi justify the exclusion of the tuktuk from their elite spaces?How deep does the pool of their common sense goes? Is there a history to this pool? If so, how much are the dead still alive and in what ways are they summoned back? In this thesis, I answer these questions through an ethnography of storytelling of the life worlds I encountered. My ethnographic research on the tuktuks in Maadi as well as the peoples steering them is productive in affectively encountering Maadi's social geographies of power. Their "disruptive" and "controversial" mobility in elite spaces in Maadi sheds light on how social divides that are not physically constructed as walls, yet are invisible palpable barriers signify the social and historical segregation of Maadi.

Degree Name

MA in Sociology-Anthropology

Graduation Date

2-1-2017

Submission Date

January 2017

First Advisor

Dr. Aly, Ramy M. K.

Committee Member 1

Dr. Sabea, Hanan

Committee Member 2

Dr. Khayyat, Munira

Extent

143 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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