Politicization of Ethnic and Religious Identities from Perspective of Political Stability in Egypt after Arab Spring (2011–2022)

Document Type : Original Article from Result of Thesis

Authors

• Yalda Bahrampour ¹
• Abolghasem Taheri ²
• Mojtaba Maghsoudi ³

¹ Ph.D. student in Political Science, Faculty of Law , Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

² Professor at Political Science Department , Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Associate Professor at Political Science Department, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Classified as a major topic in new sociology, identity politics refers to the politicization of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities and political action and participation by ethnoreligious groups to pursue their needs, ensure their citizenship rights, and determine their destiny. In the past several decades, the Middle East has become the focal point of terrorism and ethnoreligious violence. When the dominoes of the Arab Spring started to fall in 2011, Egypt was among the first Arab states to experience political and social changes. The post-Arab Spring politicization of ethnoreligious identities in Egypt has ensued from various amplifying factors. 1) Economic inequality: The growingly unequal distribution of resources and economic opportunities among different social groups could prompt some to strengthen their ethnoreligious identity for more power and influence over these resources. 2) Lack of consensus in explaining the national identity: Disagreement in the exact definition of Egypt’s national identity could have prompted some to strengthen their ethnoreligious identity by benefiting from the lack of an exact definition of national identity. 3) Disruption in the stable transfer of power: Egypt was in a transitional phase after the Arab Spring. While a new political system was being established, there could be disruptions in the stable transfer of power leading some groups and individuals to strengthen their ethnoreligious identity for more power and influence. The main research question concerns the most important sociological and internal reasons and factors affecting and intensifying the politicization of ethnoreligious identities in post-Arab Spring Egypt.

Research Methodology

This study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology.

Findings

The findings indicate that the reasons for the politicization of ethnoreligious identities are directly related to the “political stability” of this African country. With a relatively robust civil society, Egypt successfully passed the transition period and improved political stability, number of parties, and unemployment, inflation, and poverty rate and other indicators after the revolution. Despite these advancements, the disagreement in describing the national identity, disruption in the stable transfer of power, and the expansion of the army’s operations are still the obstacles to political stability in Egypt. Economic growth is a complex process influenced by various factors. With respect to Egypt, factors such as the economic crisis, inflation, unemployment, corruption, generation gap, and rural-to-urban migration have played key roles in the formation of political events such as the revolution. Moreover, the highly growing population and the necessity of meeting its needs are major challenges to the political elites in Egypt. Furthermore, political events in Egypt could indicate structural deficiencies in its governance and political system. Regarding structural deficiencies in Egypt’s governance and political system, Mubarak’s administration managed to achieve good economic growth in Egypt by controlling the media and eliminating any political rivals. However, the corruption and elimination of any political rivals damaged the political system and led to public frustration. Meanwhile, the lack of financial resources in much of the society exacerbated economic inequality. After the fall of Mubarak’s administration and the dawn of revolution in Egypt, the political system experienced uncertainty and instability. There were several transitional governments in this period, none of which could communicate with the public properly and address economic and social woes. Therefore, with an unstable political system and lack of financial resources in much of the society, Egypt faces massive challenges in development and economic growth. Hence, the national development of Egypt requires the long-term and enduring cooperative efforts of the political and economic elites.

Results

Regardless of the type of political regime and development, many countries have been concerned about political unrest and instability in recent decades. In fact, political conflicts can significantly affect how countries function, and there is always a reciprocal relationship between political stability and economic performance. Moreover, political instability affects the business environment and economic policies, with the biggest damage to the political stability being the loss of social welfare and the lowering of living standards. However, economic factors such as the rise in unemployment and inflation rates and the reduction in economic growth also affect the political stability of different countries. Various regimes can also reach political stability through political legitimacy or coercion, and the political legitimacy of governments leads to the establishment of democracy and rapid economic growth. At the same time, the resistance of governments to political changes can lead to political instability and slow down or can stop economic growth. Nevertheless, countries such as Egypt have different degrees of political instability. Stability has been an important and fundamental challenge of Egyptian states from Nassar to Mubarak, and after the 2011 Arab Spring, from Morsi to El-Sisi. However, political stability has been elusive not only in Egypt but in the entire Middle East due to the lack of historical, social, economic, and political prerequisites. Although post-Arab Spring Egypt improved different indicators such as political stability, number of parties, unemployment, inflation, and poverty rate, and access to the Internet, the country still suffers from political instability. Some challenges still remain due to the lack of promising conditions. These challenges include low public trust, excessive government control over the media, and continuous legislative reforms to limit privacy, the legitimacy of National Elections Commissions, and obstacles to freedom of expression. Generally, political instability can have widespread economic consequences in every country. In fact, it is essential to adopt a comprehensively political and economic approach to address the problem. Such an approach should include bolstering political legitimacy, improving transparency and social recognition of legislative reforms, promoting sustainable economic development, and ensuring social mobility. Achieving this goal requires the cooperative efforts of the state, society, and the private sector.

Keywords

• Politicization
• nation-state building
• identity
• Egypt
• Arab Spring

Main Subjects

• Arabs
• Revolution
• Political Sociology
• Civil Society
• State
• State-Nation Building
• North Africa