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First Published in 1966. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
First Published in 1966. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
At the time of the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, the population of
Egypt was around 22 million. At the end of 2002, it stood at 69
million, and was growing at a rate of 1.33 million a year. What
happens to a society that grows so quickly, when the habitable and
cultivable land of the country is strictly limited? After the
success of Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?, Galal Amin now
takes a further bemused look at the changes that have taken place
in Egyptian society over the past half century, this time
considering the disruptions brought about by the surge in
population. Basing his arguments on both academic research and his
own personal experiences and impressions, and employing the same
light humor and keen sense of empathy as in his earlier work, the
author discusses how runaway population growth has not only
profound effects on many aspects of society - from love and fashion
to telephones, the supermarket, and religion - but also predictable
effects on the economy.
Based on both academic research and the author's own personal
experiences and impressions, this delightful and informative book
examines the underlying causes of some of the more disturbing
social, political, economic, and cultural phenomena that
characterize Egyptian society in the 1990s. Egypt's crisis of
culture and other woes are often attributed to the 'open door
policy' (Infitah) initiated under President Sadat in the mid-1970s,
and to the large-scale migration of Egyptian workers to the
oil-rich states of the Gulf that began around the same time. Galal
Amin contends, however, that these factors alone are insufficient
to explain the fundamental changes in behavior and attitudes that
characterize modern Egyptian life. The 'missing link, ' Amin
argues, lies in the social mobility unleashed by the July
Revolution of 1952, which was later accelerated by Infitah and
workers' migration. The sudden upward mobility and attendant
prestige, self-confidence, and purchasing power of a large segment
of Egyptian society-and the desire to display this new-found social
position as conspicuously as possible-have had an enormous effect
on the attitudes and allegiances of these groups. Through a
fascinating and often highly entertaining examination of issues
ranging from the middle class, religious fanaticism, and attitudes
to the West and Western culture, to the Egyptian institution of the
summer holiday by the sea and the performing arts and
entertainment, Amin posits that social mobility has changed the
customs and habits, moral and material values, and patterns of
consumption and investment of the aspiring classes, and has,
furthermore, induced the Egyptian people to ignore national and
ideological issues of grave importance. This insightful book will
prove a thought-provoking read for those concerned with emerging
economies, international development, and privatization, and will
intrigue anyone with an interest in the social history of Egypt.
The Arabic edition of this book was awarded the Cairo International
Book Fair Prize for the best book in Social Studies in 1998.
"Egypt's Economic Predicament contains a succinct and lucid
analysis of virtually all the major economic problems of Egypt:
their origin, development and the prospect of solving them. It
presents today's economic problems of Egypt in a wider historical
context and shows their relationship to current social issues,
including the growth of religious fanaticism.
The book also contains a powerful critique of the "Structural
Adjustment" program of reform, which constitutes today's
conventional wisdom.
The subtitle of the book describes it as "a study in the
interaction of external pressure, political folly and social
tension," and as such it should be of interest not only to scholars
and students of development in Egypt and the Middle East, but to
those occupied with other Third World countries as well.
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