Overview

"Egypt's Christians, the Copts, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. While they have always been considered an integral component of the Egyptian nation, their precise status within Egyptian politics and society has been subject to ongoing debates from the twentieth century to present day. Part of the legacy of the Mubarak era in Egypt is the unsettled state of Muslim-Christian relations and the increasing volatility of sectarian tensions, which have continued in the post-Mubarak period.The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era delves into the discourses that dominated public debates and the political agenda-setting during the Mubarak era, explaining why politicians and the public in Egypt have had such enormous difficulties in recognizing the real roots of sectarian strife. This ""Coptic question"" is a complex set of issues, ranging from the petty struggles of daily Egyptian life in a bi-religious society to intricate legal and constitutional questions (family law, conversion, and church-building), to the issue of the political participation of the Coptic minority. Through these subjects, the book explores a larger debate around Egyptian national identity.Paying special attention to the neglected diversity of voices within the Coptic community, Sebastian Elsässer peels back the historical layers to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historic, political, and social dynamics of Egypt's Coptic Christians during Hosni Mubarak's rule."

Full Product Details

9780199368396

Table of Contents

Reviews

If Elsassers nuanced discourse analysis needs very attentive reading, his exceptionally insightful book is refreshingly free of jargon and neologisms. * Christopher J. van der Krogt, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations * A magnificent piece of scholarship. The book puts Egypts 'Coptic question' in its proper socio-historical context like no other work before. Elsasser has written an informative and carefully researched account of the Copts' role in modern Egyptian politics. Situating his study within major historical developments, he chronicles the evolution of the 'Coptic question' while highlighting the voices and viewpoints of key actors. Elsasser focuses on how Copts have shapedand have been conceived withindiscourses of patriotism, nationalism, and citizenship, particularly during the Mubarak era. Consequently, the book furnishes a critical context for understanding the most recent political events in Egypt * Febe Armanios, author of Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt * Elsasser takes a deep dive into Egypt's century-old attempts to build a modern nation-state, analyzing the Muslim and Coptic revivalisms, which lead to different, if not opposite, outcomes today. He brilliantly deconstructs the 'religious patriotism' and 'national unity' narratives, with all their built-in contradictions and hypocrisy. He treads some controversial areas and finally warns against the lack of fundamental change in policies concerning the Coptic question. * Adel Guindy, President of Coptic Solidarity *

Elsasser takes a deep dive into Egypt's century-old attempts to build a modern nation-state, analyzing the Muslim and Coptic revivalisms, which lead to different, if not opposite, outcomes today. He brilliantly deconstructs the 'religious patriotism' and 'national unity' narratives, with all their built-in contradictions and hypocrisy. He treads some controversial areas and finally warns against the lack of fundamental change in policies concerning the Coptic question. Adel Guindy, President of Coptic Solidarity Elsasser has written an informative and carefully researched account of the Copts' role in modern Egyptian politics. Situating his study within major historical developments, he chronicles the evolution of the 'Coptic question' while highlighting the voices and viewpoints of key actors. Elsasser focuses on how Copts have shapedand have been conceived withindiscourses of patriotism, nationalism, and citizenship, particularly during the Mubarak era. Consequently, the book furnishes a critical context for understanding the most recent political events in Egypt Febe Armanios, author of Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt A magnificent piece of scholarship. The book puts Egypts 'Coptic question' in its proper socio-historical context like no other work before.

A magnificent piece of scholarship. The book puts Egypt's 'Coptic question' in its proper socio-historical context like no other work before. --Roger Owen, Professor Emeritus of Modern Middle East History, Harvard University Elsasser has written an informative and carefully researched account of the Copts' role in modern Egyptian politics. Situating his study within major historical developments, he chronicles the evolution of the 'Coptic question' while highlighting the voices and viewpoints of key actors. Elsasser focuses on how Copts have shaped-and have been conceived within-discourses of patriotism, nationalism, and citizenship, particularly during the Mubarak era. Consequently, the book furnishes a critical context for understanding the most recent political events in Egypt. --Febe Armanios, author of Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt Elsasser takes a deep dive into Egypt's century-old attempts to build a modern nation-state, analyzing the Muslim and Coptic revivalisms, which lead to different, if not opposite, outcomes today. He brilliantly deconstructs the 'religious patriotism' and 'national unity' narratives, with all their built-in contradictions and hypocrisy. He treads some controversial areas and finally warns against the lack of fundamental change in policies concerning the Coptic question. --Adel Guindy, President of Coptic Solidarity This balanced study is an elegantly crafted primer for any serious student of modern Coptic studies and Muslim-Christian relations.... The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era will take its place as indispensable reading for assessing the continuities and perils of authoritarian rule for Egypt's Coptic Christians today. --Journal of Religion In sum, this balanced study is an elegantly crafted primer for any serious student of modern Coptic studies and Muslim-Christian relations. Elsasser's thoroughgoing attempt to invert taken-for-granted assumptions keeps the reader on her toes. Closing at the cusp of Mubarak's inglorious exit and anticipating the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power, the study is all the more timely given the military coup in 2013 and the consequential return of the old regime. The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era will take its place as indispensable reading for assessing the continuities and perils of authoritarian rule for Egypt's Coptic Christians today. --Journal of Religion

Author Information

Sebastian Elsässer is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Oriental and Islamic Studies, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available