Abstract

The events that began on January 25, 2011 were quickly labeled revolutionary by actors, critics and other media. This thesis unpacks the assumptions that underlie such a characterization, critiquing in turn the concept of revolution as a distinctly modern conceptualization that collapses time and space. The author argues that the French revolution was the first historical iteration of such an event that was understood through the contemporaneous ideology of revolution, showing how actors came to understand themselves as historical agents. He then selects a few works that are representative of revolutionary discourse in Egypt during the period widely identified as revolutionary and shows how the ideology of revolution is operative. The final substantive section addresses the work of Alain Badiou, who attempts to situate revolution in a system that, based on mathematics, comprehends the subject in social transformation.

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Degree Name

MA in Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Morrison, Ian

Committee Member 1

Rouchdy, Malak

Document Type

Thesis

Rights

The American University in Cairo grants authors of theses and dissertations a maximum embargo period of two years from the date of submission, upon request. After the embargo elapses, these documents are made available publicly. If you are the author of this thesis or dissertation, and would like to request an exceptional extension of the embargo period, please write to thesisadmin@aucegypt.edu

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