The Case of Egypt (1981-2011)

Abstract

The 2011 Egyptian revolution ousted President Hosni Mubarak after nearly thirty years in power. An agency centred approach dominated the discourse that followed the revolution. This dissertation contends that this lilterature is inadequate because it fails to consider structural factors at play in Egypt. Sultanism is a valuable heuristic tool by which to elucidate the role of the nature of the regime and its breakdown. The characteristics of the sultanistic category include: 1) fusion of regime and state, 2) personalism, 3) dynasticism, 4) constitutional hypocrisy, 5) narrow social base, and 6) distorted capitalism. These features have important implications in shaping relationships between key actors that determine paths out of sultanism. In addition, while analysing Egypt, this dissertation simultaneously performs an immanent critique of sultanism. The application of sultanism to Egypt reveals the need for two particular revisions to the theory: 1) the integration with the insights of 'gray zone' theory, and 2) consideration of the regional political climate. Thus, this dissertation puts forward a meaningful framework by which to assess the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the theory of sultanism.