The Arab Offspring: The Private Wakes of the Egyptian Revolution

Youssef El Chazli, Brandeis University

In this article, I discuss the socializing effects of revolutionary participation. Through a longitudinal and in-depth analysis of two life trajectories, I question how the politicization of individuals during the 2011 uprising in Alexandria, Egypt continues to structure their daily lives, beliefs and choices. In other words, how do two middle-aged men continue to be revolutionaries long after the revolution’s foreclosure? By studying different patterns and sequences of disengagement from politics, I argue that disengaging from revolutionary action in a narrow sense does not necessarily mean abandoning all revolutionary values. I show on the contrary how activists invest in their private lives, especially in their children’s education, to continue to make sense of their lives.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 17. Can Revolutions Be Permanent? New Approaches to Assessing Revolutionary Outcomes