The Egyptians: A Radical History of Egypt's Unfinished Revolution
Jack Shenker
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
The award-winning journalist and longtime Cairo resident delivers a "meticulous, passionate study" of the ongoing battle for contemporary Egypt (The Guardian). On January, 25, 2011, a revolution began in Egypt that succeeded in ousting the country's longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. In The Egyptians, journalist Jack Shenker uncovers the roots of the uprising and explores the country's current state, divided between two irreconcilable political orders. Challenging conventional analyses that depict a battle between Islamists and secular forces, The Egyptians illuminates other, equally important fault lines: far-flung communities waging war against transnational corporations, men and women fighting to subvert long-established gender norms, and workers dramatically seizing control of their own factories. Putting the Egyptian revolution in its proper context as an ongoing popular struggle against state authority and economic exclusion, The Egyptians explains why the events since 2011 have proved so threatening to elites both inside Egypt and abroad. As Egypt's rulers seek to eliminate all forms of dissent, seeded within the rebellious politics of Egypt's young generation are big ideas about democracy, sovereignty, social justice, and resistance that could yet change the world. "I started reading this and couldn't stop. It's a remarkable piece of work, and very revealing. A stirring rendition of a people's revolution as the popular forces that Shenker vividly depicts carry forward their many and varied struggles, with radical potential that extends far beyond Egypt." --Noam Chomsky
Product Details
Price
$32.50
$30.23
Publisher
New Press
Publish Date
January 03, 2017
Pages
544
Dimensions
6.1 X 9.4 X 1.7 inches | 2.0 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781620972557
BISAC Categories:
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Become an affiliateAbout the Author
Jack Shenker is a journalist based in London and Cairo. Formerly Egypt correspondent for The Guardian, he received multiple prizes for his coverage of the Egyptian revolution. This is his first book.
Reviews
Praise for The Egyptians:
A Kirkus Best Book of 2017 "His [Jack Shenker's] understanding of Egypt and its people is visceral as well as intellectual."
--The Christian Science Monitor "A brilliant critic and activist journalist explores the democratic motives behind Egyptians' overthrow of their government in 2011."
--Shelf Awareness "The Egyptians is...a sparky and resolutely cliche-free look at the struggle for democracy in 21st century Egypt.
--The Observer, The Best Nonfiction For 2016 "A refreshing account...Mr Shenker evokes despair at the economy of this badly run country, but also surprising hope for its future."
--The Economist, Books of the Year 2016 "I started reading this and couldn't stop. It's a remarkable piece of work, and very revealing. A stirring rendition of a people's revolution as the popular forces that Shenker vividly depicts carry forward their many and varied struggles, with radical potential that extends far beyond Egypt."
--Noam Chomsky "Jack Shenker's The Egyptians [is] a sweeping look at the long trajectory of popular mobilization, local battles and political conflict, transcending the travails of the Jan. 25, 2011, revolution and the July 3, 2013, military coup. His deeply sympathetic look at the long struggles of ordinary Egyptians, outside of the spotlight of Cairo's activist class, gives substance to the view that the military coup cannot long suppress the restless energy of Egyptians."
--The Washington Post "Shenker is a vivid writer."
--The Nation "A troubling yet highly engaging catch-up on the state of incomplete revolution in Egypt. "
--Kirkus Reviews (starred) "Truly astonishing...painstakingly researched, moving, engaging and engaged, the most articulate and comprehensive account of the revolution I have read to date...The Egyptians is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how and why Egypt's revolution happened - and why it continues."
--Open Democracy "Jack Shenker pulls no punches in his examination of the post-Nasser Egyptian establishment and its venal and murderous ways...It is stirring stuff, compellingly reported and powered by a tenacious empathy for the underdog in a country where the rich have taken - in many cases plundered - almost everything from under the noses of the poor..."
--Sunday Times "Shenker has written what amounts to a contemporary history of injustice...Shenker is a sensitive interlocutor, and the people-stories he relates comprise a stirring mise en valeur of a struggle for human dignity of unsung depth and dimension."
--Times Literary Supplement "Inspirational...[Shenker's] analysis is acutely clear-sighted, given the chaos of recent events. The book mixes a hawk's eye view of the forces of global capitalism as applied to Egypt with a vivid worm's eye view of what it is like to be caught up in a revolution. This is a passionate book, but not an unbalanced one...it tells stories that need to be told, and which have been widely ignored."
--Independent "Intimate and comprehensive."
--Pankaj Mishra, author of From the Ruins of Empire "The central argument of this meticulous, carefully researched and passionately argued book is that the battle in Egypt, as in almost every other place in the world, is between a dominant global neoliberal capitalist system and the people whose lives and livelihoods it is destroying. . . . The Egyptians is not just about the revolution, it is an act within it; making its case, documenting its achievements and tragedies, pushing forward its narrative. It celebrates the collective and enacts it in its co-operation with texts and witnesses."
--Ahdaf Soueif, author of The Map of Love "This is the deepest and most comprehensive account of Egypt's revolution in the English language, and it will set the agenda for debate throughout the Arab world."
--Paul Mason, author of Postcapitalism "Essential reading for those who want to go beyond the conventional wisdom and understand the real causes of upheaval in the Arab world."
--Lindsey Hilsum, author of Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution "This superbly written book documents the great victories--and terrible setbacks--of a people thirsting for democracy and social justice. A courageous writer who gives voice to the hopes and fears of the people of Egypt."
--Owen Jones "Shenker is one of the best observers of the current scene in Egypt."
--Khaled Fahmy, professor of history at the American University
A Kirkus Best Book of 2017 "His [Jack Shenker's] understanding of Egypt and its people is visceral as well as intellectual."
--The Christian Science Monitor "A brilliant critic and activist journalist explores the democratic motives behind Egyptians' overthrow of their government in 2011."
--Shelf Awareness "The Egyptians is...a sparky and resolutely cliche-free look at the struggle for democracy in 21st century Egypt.
--The Observer, The Best Nonfiction For 2016 "A refreshing account...Mr Shenker evokes despair at the economy of this badly run country, but also surprising hope for its future."
--The Economist, Books of the Year 2016 "I started reading this and couldn't stop. It's a remarkable piece of work, and very revealing. A stirring rendition of a people's revolution as the popular forces that Shenker vividly depicts carry forward their many and varied struggles, with radical potential that extends far beyond Egypt."
--Noam Chomsky "Jack Shenker's The Egyptians [is] a sweeping look at the long trajectory of popular mobilization, local battles and political conflict, transcending the travails of the Jan. 25, 2011, revolution and the July 3, 2013, military coup. His deeply sympathetic look at the long struggles of ordinary Egyptians, outside of the spotlight of Cairo's activist class, gives substance to the view that the military coup cannot long suppress the restless energy of Egyptians."
--The Washington Post "Shenker is a vivid writer."
--The Nation "A troubling yet highly engaging catch-up on the state of incomplete revolution in Egypt. "
--Kirkus Reviews (starred) "Truly astonishing...painstakingly researched, moving, engaging and engaged, the most articulate and comprehensive account of the revolution I have read to date...The Egyptians is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how and why Egypt's revolution happened - and why it continues."
--Open Democracy "Jack Shenker pulls no punches in his examination of the post-Nasser Egyptian establishment and its venal and murderous ways...It is stirring stuff, compellingly reported and powered by a tenacious empathy for the underdog in a country where the rich have taken - in many cases plundered - almost everything from under the noses of the poor..."
--Sunday Times "Shenker has written what amounts to a contemporary history of injustice...Shenker is a sensitive interlocutor, and the people-stories he relates comprise a stirring mise en valeur of a struggle for human dignity of unsung depth and dimension."
--Times Literary Supplement "Inspirational...[Shenker's] analysis is acutely clear-sighted, given the chaos of recent events. The book mixes a hawk's eye view of the forces of global capitalism as applied to Egypt with a vivid worm's eye view of what it is like to be caught up in a revolution. This is a passionate book, but not an unbalanced one...it tells stories that need to be told, and which have been widely ignored."
--Independent "Intimate and comprehensive."
--Pankaj Mishra, author of From the Ruins of Empire "The central argument of this meticulous, carefully researched and passionately argued book is that the battle in Egypt, as in almost every other place in the world, is between a dominant global neoliberal capitalist system and the people whose lives and livelihoods it is destroying. . . . The Egyptians is not just about the revolution, it is an act within it; making its case, documenting its achievements and tragedies, pushing forward its narrative. It celebrates the collective and enacts it in its co-operation with texts and witnesses."
--Ahdaf Soueif, author of The Map of Love "This is the deepest and most comprehensive account of Egypt's revolution in the English language, and it will set the agenda for debate throughout the Arab world."
--Paul Mason, author of Postcapitalism "Essential reading for those who want to go beyond the conventional wisdom and understand the real causes of upheaval in the Arab world."
--Lindsey Hilsum, author of Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution "This superbly written book documents the great victories--and terrible setbacks--of a people thirsting for democracy and social justice. A courageous writer who gives voice to the hopes and fears of the people of Egypt."
--Owen Jones "Shenker is one of the best observers of the current scene in Egypt."
--Khaled Fahmy, professor of history at the American University