Egypt as Effigy: Predatory Power, Hijacked History, and the Devolution of Revolution

Courtesy of the LSE Middle East Centre. Seven years since the popular uprising that shook Egypt, the relationships between state, society, social movements and corporate power have been reconfigured, perhaps even disfigured. On the eve of the anniversary of the January 25 revolution, Adel Iskandar reflects on these changes and asks how they have affected our understanding of social, cultural and political life in the country. He argues that Egypt today is a replica of various historic Egypts, each manifesting as an effigy built for either public scrutiny or glorification. January 24th, 2018 | English Recorded at the Wolfson Theatre in London, England (Note: Recording ends abruptly due to technical difficulties) Adel Iskandar is Director of the Global Communication Program at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver. He is the author of several works on Egypt and Arab media, including "Egypt In Flux: Essays on an Unfinished Revolution" (IB Taurus, 2013) and "Mediating the Arab Uprisings" (Tadween Publishing, 2012). He is a co-editor of Jadaliyya and an associate producer of the Status audio journal.