Department Member, International Relations
Thesis Title: Gramsci in Cairo: Neoliberal Authoritarianism, Passive Revolution and Failed Hegemony in Mubarak's Egypt, 1991-2010
|
Professor Kimberly Hutchings
|
About
I have recently completed my PhD in International Relations. My dissertation discussed the political economy of reforms undertaken in Egypt during the last two decades of Mubarak’s rule. I argue that these reforms are better understood as a form of neoliberalisation of the Egyptian economy, and that this led to a parallel process of reconfiguration of authoritarian rule, with the emergence of a ‘neoliberal authoritarian’ regime.
Recovering the hitherto neglected concept of ‘philosophy of praxis’, in the theoretical section I develop an understanding of the thought of Antonio Gramsci alternative to the Coxian interpretation prevalent in IR and IPE.
In the empirical part, drawing on a range of methods including elite interviews, process-tracing and content analysis, I focus on the main cases of privatisation and liberalisation in agriculture, industry and finance. The evidence gathered suggests that economic reforms were instrumental in producing a shift in the balance of forces within the ruling coalition, with the rise of a capitalist oligarchy largely revolving around the figure of Gamal Mubarak. The resulting reconfiguration of political power was meant to stabilise authoritarian rule under new economic conditions, but the events of 2011 proved that the regime calculations were carelessly incorrect.
Beyond the thesis, my academic interests mainly focus on the two shores of the Mediterranean. On the one hand, I am interested in the political economy of the Arab Spring, and more specifically on how economic factors might have contributed to the wave of political upheaval experienced by Arab post-populist republics (especially Tunisia, Egypt and Syria). On the other hand, I also intend to study how the current crisis is producing strong pressures towards the restructuring of economies on the northern shore of the Mediterranean, particularly in Greece and Italy.
In the company of some friends much brighter than me, I occasionally blog at 'The Disorder of Things':
http://thedisorderofthings.wordpress.com
