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Nilopolitics: A hydrological regime, 1870-1990
Mohamed Hatem El-Atawy
This timely study presents research into the historical background of relations among the Nile's riparian states, and the ways in which their security needs have been handled informally in the absence of a security regime. The author discusses the contexts of shifting involvement in the region by global superpowers, as well as Egypt's attempts to maintain security through regional hegemony.
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Nocturnal poetics: the Arabian nights in comparative context
Ferial J. Ghazoul Professor
The Book of a Thousand and One Nights, better known as The Arabian Nights, is a classic of world literature and the most universally known work of Arabic narrative. Although much has been written about it, Professor Ghazoul's analysis is the first to apply modern critical methodology to the study of this intricate and much-admired literary masterpiece. The author draws on a wealth of critical tools -- medieval Arabic aesthetics and poetics, mythology and folklore, allegory and comedy, postmodern literary criticism, and formal and structural analysis -- to explain the specific genius of the The Arabian Nights. The author describes and examines the internal cohesion of the book, establishing its morphology and revealing the dialectics of the frame-story and enframed cycles of narrative. She discusses various forms of narrative -- folk epics, animal fables, Sindbad voyages, and demon stories -- and analyzes them in relation to narrative works from India, Europe, and the Americas. Covering an impressive range of writings, from ancient Indian classics to the works of Shakespeare and the modern writers Jorge Luis Borges and John Barth, she places The Arabian Nights in the context of an ongoing storytelling tradition and reveals its influence on world literature.
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An Assessment of grass roots participation in the development of Egypt
Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Amani Kandil, Moheb Zaki, and Nagah Hassan
This study aims to examine the extent and effectiveness of grassroots participation in Egyptian private voluntary organizations (PVOs). In addition, it traces the historical development of PVOs in Egypt and the laws that have been governing their activities. The authors deduce from this study that legal restrictions and bureaucratic impediments―not financial constraints―are the main obstacles that limit the activities of PVOs, and come up with specific recommendations to enhance grassroots participation in Egyptian society.
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Structural Adjustment, Stabilization Policies and the Poor in Egypt
Karima Korayem
Structural adjustment and stabilization agreements between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were signed in 1991. The two agreements are referred to as the economic reform and structural adjustment program (ERSAP). To examine the impact of ERSAP on Egypt's poor , one has to define, first, who are the poor and what is their relative share in the population. The negative impact of ERSAP on the society as a whole will be less harmful if absolute and relative poverty are small in Egypt. ERSAP affects the poor through three channels: prices, incomes, and the provision of social services (mainly education and health). However, not all policies have a direct impact on the poor. Three types of policies can be identified in this regard: first, macro-economic policies that affect variables that are included in the poverty equation, like wages, unemployment, and prices; second, policies that are specifically designed to support the incomes of the poor (transfer payments and the creation of employment opportunities); third, policies that affect the supply of subsidized social services, specifically education and health. The economic reform and structural adjustment program adopted in Egypt will be examined, and the impact of the three types of policies on the poor will be pointed out and analyzed. Although the poor are placed on the receiving end of ERSAP, they are adapting in one way or another to survive the hardship of poverty. Adaptation can take place through changing patterns of expenditure or incomes. Issues addressed in this study include how the poor adapt to the structural adjustment and stabilization policies applied in Egypt and what adaptation implies regarding the quality of life they are leading. Measures are proposed to reduce the negative impact of ERSAP implementation on the poor in Egypt. Following these introductory pages, this study falls into four parts. Chapter One discusses the incidence of povef!y in Egypt. Chapter Two explains the impact of the structural and stabilization policies on the poor. How are the poor adapting is presented in Chapter Three; and, finally, Chapter Four suggests ways to minimize the negative impact on the poor.
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Workers, trade unions and the state in Egypt, 1984-1989
Omar El Shafei
In the last paragraph of their masterpiece on the Egyptian workers' movement, Workers on the Nile, Joel Beinin and Zachary Lockman suggested that "[t]he strike and riot of textile workers in Kafr al-Dawwar in September 1984 may signal an end to the period of relative economic peace and labor quiescence" in Egypt. Their expectation turned out to be true. The 1984 upheaval in Kafr al-Dawwar was followed by five years of intensifying workers' struggle throughout Egypt. This culminated in two major sit-ins at the Helwan Iron and Steel Company in July and August 1989. Two salient aspects of this period particularly drew my attention to, and developed my interest in, the Egyptian workers' movement: (1) the violent confrontations between struggling workers and the Egyptian regime; and (2) the surprisingly hostile position adopted by Egyptian trade unions toward "their" workers. In 1991, I had the opportunity to have some practical connection with the Egyptian workers' movement, when I was employed by the Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services (CTUWS), an independent association that aims at promoting principles of democracy, independence and militancy within the Egyptian workers' movement. Through my activity at the CTUWS, I met with many labor activists and trade unionists. It was through numerous discussions with these activists that I settled upon the focus of this study: the interaction of workers, trade union leaders, and the state in some of the most important strikes and sit-ins that occurred in Egypt's industrial and transport sectors between 1984 and 1989. The theoretical framework within which this study is conducted is presented in Chapter One. Basically, it is the broadly defined school of thought that looks positively at workers' struggles in the context of Third World socioeconomic and political structures. Chapter Two outlines the history of workers' struggle in postwar Egypt, as a background for the more recent 1984-89 strike wave. In Chapters Three and Four, five major workers' strikes and sit-ins that erupted in contemporary Egypt are discussed. These events occurred at: Misr Fine Spinning and Weaving Company in Kafr al-Dawwar in SeptemberOctober 1984; Esco Textile Company in Shubra al-Khayma in JanuaryFebruary and April 1986; Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalia al-Kubra in February 1986; Egyptian railways in July 1986; and the Iron and Steel Company in Helwan in July-August 1989. They were all massive ruggles that attracted the attention of public opinion, had an important impact on society and led to violent confrontations between workers and the state. In these two chapters, I essentially rely on three sources: a) press coverage of these ev.ents, especially from oppositional political forces ( With an emphasis on the leftist press); b) interviews conducted with nine labor activists and trade unionists who participated in three of these events; and c) written accounts by labor and trade union activists on the railway strike and the Iron and Steel sit-in. Time constraints and other difficulties prevented me from conducting interviews with wide numbers of rank-and-file workers, as I had originally intended. This limits the value and depth of this study, which, I hope, will constitute a starting point for further in-depth research into the politics of the Egyptian workers' movement during the 1980's, a subject which, to date, has received very little scholarly attention.
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Social Policy in the Arab World
Jacqueline S. Ismael and Tareq Y. Ismael
Social policy may be broadly identified as a category of policies explicitly and specifically designed to deal with the manifold problems of poverty, inequality, and inequity. How a state "deals" with these issues has relied on the perception of social policy as primarily a function of economic variables. An alternative view, however, has seen social policy as primarily a function of ideological variables. While there has been substantial examination of social policy development in advanced industrial states, little is known or systematically studied about social policy determinants in the developing world. Nonetheless, it is starkly evident that patterns of poverty, inequality and inequity in the developing world are the outcomes of institutionalized patterns of dominance and aggression. These institutionalized patterns are largely the legacy of imperialism and colonialism. The developing state exercises its monopoly on the use of violence through coercive policy tools to sustain, modify or change patterns of wealth, power and privilege (the correlates of poverty, inequality and inequity). The modem nation-state system emerged in the Arab world as a product of the political settlements among allied powers after World War I, the disintegration of colonial empires in the wake of World War II, and the emergence of the Cold War in the post war period. Social welfare programs, instituted as part of the nation-building process, reflected the ideological character of the nation-state system, as well as the economic capacity of individual Arab states. In this framework, responses to the problems of poverty played an important role in the process of state legitimation. Part I examines the nature of poverty in terms of historical origins and cultural prescriptions. The three case studies examined in Part II reflect patterns of state response. This work is based on research supported by a Social Science and Humanities Research Council grant and a larger comparative study of social policy in the Arab world to be published by the University Press of Florida. A grant from The University of Calgary Research Grants Committee and a Killam Resident Fellowship were instrumental in bringing the project to its conclusion.
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Indonesian students in Cairo : Islamic education, perceptions and exchanges
Mona Mohsen Abaza-Stauth
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Farmers and merchants: Background to structural adjustment in Egypt
Sohair Mehanna, Nicholas S. Hopkins, and Bahgat AbdelMaksoud
With the support of the Ford Foundation, research was carried out on "Primary Agricultural Marketing in Egypt" from November 1989 to March 1991. The research team was led by Mrs. Sohair Mehanna of the Social Research Center, American University in Cairo, Dr. Nicholas S. Hopkins, Department of Sociology-Anthropology, American University in Cairo, and Dr. Bahgat Abdelmaksoud, Department of Rural Sociology, Asyut University. Other members of the team were Zeinab Gamal, Laila Fares, and Esmat Kheir from the Social Research Center, and Dr. Ahmed Abdelhafidh, Dr. Mustafa Hamdi, Ahmed Hassanein, Mohammed Hassan, and Mohammed Murad from the University of Asyut. There were also various enumerators hired specifically for the task. The project was administered from the Social Research Center of the American University in Cairo. Thanks also to all those on the staff of the American University in Cairo who made this possible. This notably includes Mr. Jack Hartmann and his staff at the Grants and Contracts office. Thanks to Fatma Abdel Karim for help with the typing, and to Fakri Abdel Wahab for photography. Various SRC drivers and support staff helped make this research possible. Thanks also to Dr. David Nygaard and his staff at the Ford Foundation office in Cairo for their unstinting support of this project. Thanks to Dr. Edward Reeves for sending along some unpublished material with as much speed as good will. Dr. Saad Nagi and Dr. Mourad Wahba found time to read an early version of the text and to provide encouragement. Our gratitude to Dr. Mohammed Hassan and to Dr. Ragaa el-Amir for advice and comment. Michael Russell helped with the computer and the printing. Susan Russell gave a late draft a thorough drubbing. Mah2 Mahfouz and Mona Abu Zeid helped with translations and data analysis, and Maha Mahfouz also drafted an Arabic summary. It was useful to compare notes with Martina Heitkoetter of Freiburg University in Germany, who was carrying out a study of the Rod elFarag market. Thanks to those who gave permission for this project to take place in the three governorates. Thanks above all to all those who submitted to our questions and responded with hospitality.
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Democratization in rural Egypt : a study of the village local popular council
Hanan Hamdy Radwan
This paper was originally conceived as a thesis for a Master of Arts Degree in political science, which I received in June 1993. Formulation and completion of this study would not have been possible without constant encouragement and helpful comments provided by my supervisor, Prof. Salwa. Gomaa. I am especially grateful to her for her strong moral support during my times of despair while preparing this work. My gratitude also goes out to Prof. Moustafa K. El-Sayed and Dr. Noha El-Mikkawy, who agreed to be the readers for this thesis, despite their busy schedules. I am deeply indebted to Mr. Hassan Al-Alawani for his generous and indispensable assistance to me during the early stages of preparation for this study. Mr. Mahmoud Abou Raya provided me with valuable information and comments without which the study would have been inaccurate. My special appreciation goes out to these two gentlemen for their prompt and unstinted guidance. I wish to express my gratitude to Moheb Zaki, whose relentless criticism compelled me to shed the barriers of defense that I had unwittingly come to build around my study, and to review it with a more skeptical eye. The field research for this study was more than facilitated by the unselfish cooperation of the members of Herageya, Waqid and Om Khenan villages (particularly the VLPC members who participated conscienciously in the questionnaire survey and without the slightest objection) and to governorate officials at Beheira, Giza and Qena, specifically: Mr. Yousri Abdel Alim, Mrs. Wagida Mosli and Mr. Khairy at Beheira; Messrs. Mohamed Aboul Ella and Gamal Fouda at Giza; and Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Naggar at Qena. Although the contribution of the above-mentioned individuals cannot be minimized, I owe a special debt of gratitude to two people, without whom this research effort would never have materialized: my mother, whose unflinching support and patience has salvaged me from frequent moments of frustration while preparing this work; and my father, whose fervent desire for me to complete this study provided me with a powerful impetus to continue with its preparation after he passed away. May God rest his soul in peace.
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Experiments in community development in a Zabbaleen settlement
Marie Assaad and Nadra Garas
This publication is based on a study commissioned by UNICEF in September 1992. The purpose of the study was to provide advice on processes that would ensure wide community participation and promote environmentally and financially sustainable development. The study was undertaken jointly by a senior anthropologist with long experience in development work, particularly human resource development, training and action research, and a young MA graduate student of Public Administration. They were helped by their varied backgrounds and experience: the extensive experience of the senior partner in relation to the selected area, the diligent work of the junior partner reviewing available reports on the upgrading program and interviewing 24 knowledgeable persons from inside and outside the selected area. Aware of the various efforts in Egypt since the 1930s to implement projects to alleviate rural or urban poverty and improve human conditions, the writers deliberately chose to carry out an in-depth study of a poor urban area which had experienced in the last ten years a large number of upgrading programs and a high degree of involvement that made a visible impact on the whole area. In view of the limited time and resources, they preferred to use their energy to scrutinize this concrete situation and draw lessons rather than review the extensive literature on community development and community participation. They hope that such lessons would help in future development planning which ensures the broadest community participation and which is financially and environmentally sustainable.
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The empowerment of women: Water and sanitation initiatives in rural Egypt
Samiha El Katsha and Susan Watts
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Alif 13: Human Rights and Peoples' Rights in Literature and the Humanities
Ferial J. Ghazoul Professor
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Investors and workers in the western desert of Egypt: An exploratory survey
Naiem A. Sherbiny, Donald P. Cole, and Nadia Makary Girgis
The experiences and perceptions of 125 selected investors (small enterpreneurs) and 192 workers in 5 different areas of the Western Desert of Egypt are investigated. Socio-economic characteristcs of the investors and workers are described, and respondents' views of community services and the sources of change and resulting conflicts in the areas are assessed. Reasons underlying investment in the desert area are explored, paying particular attention to choice of activity and location. Investors' perceptions of successes, constraints and prospects of desert investment and workers' perceptions of the potential of their respective sectors of activity are reported. The workers' work experience, recruitment and job satisfaction and their income and expenditures are also considered. Most of the constraints expressed by the respondents are related to characteristics of the wider Egyptian economy
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Social Background and Bureaucratic Behavior in Egypt
Earl L. Sullivan, El Sayed Yassin, Ali Leila, and Monte Palmer
This study of the role of gender and religion in the Egyptian bureaucracy provides general background information pertaining to the three major topics of this book: bureaucratic behaviour, the role of women in Egyptian society and relations between Egypt's religious groups, the Muslims and the Copts. The author hypothesizes that the attitudes and behaviour of Egyptian bureaucrats will differ markedly on the basis of sex, but that the attitudes and behaviour of Coptic bureaucrats will not differ significantly from those of their Muslim counterparts. The two hypotheses were tested in reference to eight sets of attitudes and behaviour, viz. media behaviour, reference groups, religiosity, economic preferences (capitalism versus socialism), conflict between professional and family roles, decisionmaking, job satisfaction, and work values. The data used in testing the two hypotheses was drawn from a survey conducted in 1983 on a sample of 825 Egyptian civil servants. Both hypotheses were sustained, but not without some exceptions.
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