ABSTRACT
The chapter explores how the movement arose and began carving space for itself during the period of 2005–2010. The generational encounter that took place within the field of anti-Mubarak contestation, along with the free spaces of youth activism, allowed for the development of youth consciousness and a sense of political generation to emerge among the activist community. Their shared understanding of “youth” as a form of political action included: emphasis on non-affiliation with political ideology; decision-making based on consensus and power-sharing; the rejection of figureheads; the values of solidarity and non-violence; and altruism as the basis for action. In addition, these years of movement formation saw the defining of the activists’ joint enterprise, captured in their goal radical change and special emphasis on the concept of dignity. These meta-level collective understandings and practices played critical roles in shaping the movement’s development, including: the use of social media as a micromobilization venue; the tensions between the ideals of youth practice and the practical dimensions of resource acquisition and collective identity formation; and the effort to manifest a post-ideological strategy of contestation.
