The Politics of the Urban Everyday in Cairo

The revolutionary events of January 2011 in Egypt bring to the fore dimensions of contention and oppositional political action anchored in urban space. One aspect of the mass protests that brought about the forced resignation of President Mubarak was the occupation of central public space by a large mass of people demanding the fall of the regime. Over 18 days, millions of Egyptians from diverse socio-economic backgrounds occupied central public squares, organized marches and sit-ins and devised imaginative forms of oppositional activism. The scale of mobilization was unprecedented, though the preceding decade had witnessed growing resistance to the Mubarak regime. ¹ The immediate spark for the Revolution was a call, spearheaded by youth activists and dissident groups, for a public demonstration against increased police violence and repression.