Chapter 5 Together, but Divided: Trajectories of a Generation1 of Egyptian Political Activists (From 2005 to the Revolution)2

In: Protests and Generations: Legacies and Emergences in the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean
Author:
Chaymaa Hassabo
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Since January 25th 2011, various expressions have been employed in academic domain and the media to describe the young protestors who contested the Mubarak regime. They have been called by some the ‘Tahrir generation,’ by others the ‘Facebook generation,’ or the ‘Revolution’s generation.’ Yet, these expressions reduce a heterogeneous group of people to one indivisible unit. This article challenges the common misconception that these young protestors form one generation of activists who have a global agenda for change, and more so who have specific youth demands. We show that the period before the January 25th Revolution 2011 had also witnessed the emergence of several ‘political generations.’ Political generation includes the individuals who have joined in a mobilization momentum at a given time, regardless of their political affiliation, ideology or even age. This article focuses on how the political generation of young activists, who emerged in the wake of the Kifaya movement, have subsequently gone on different paths and have adopted several views – sometimes conflicting ones – on the course and the goals of the Revolution.

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