ABSTRACT
The chapter introduces readers to the book’s intention to study Egyptian workers’ protests through two case studies from 2004 to 2011. Workers had been protesting for over a decade before January 2011. The book also examines the following thesis: If workers had not been protesting and thus had not challenged the regime, then the actual uprising would not have taken place in such a massive, effective, and widespread (across societal class/professional lines) manner—a bold assertion, indeed. “Effective” in this context means that millions of Egyptians protested publicly (without the accustomed fear of retribution) against the regime—a victory in itself. Yet, their victory remains elusive, so it was a “victory” within limits. With this bold contention, I intend to provide the empirical evidence to support my hypothesis using the lenses of social movement theory (SMT) and social movement unionism (SMU). This chapter will also review how independent workers’ organizations did indeed play a causal political role in laying the groundwork for the first uprising from January 25–28, 2011, despite several challenges.
