Christians in Egypt: Strategies and Survival

ISBN-13: 9781137568687 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 242 str.

Andrea B. Rugh

Opis

Christians in the Middle East have come under increasing pressure in recent years with the rise of radical Islam. Nowhere is this truer than in Egypt, where the large Coptic Christian community has traditionally played an important role in the country's history and politics. This book examines Christian responses to sectarian pressures in two contexts: nationally as Church leaders deal with Egyptian presidents and locally as a community of poor Christians cope in a mostly-Muslim quarter of Cairo. This intensive study, based on the author's five years of research in Bulaq, looks at existential questions surrounding the role of religion in poor communities. The book concludes with a review of strategies Egyptian Christians have used to improve their minority status, showing that although expressed differently, both Church leaders and members of the Bulaq community ultimately have worked toward similar goals. The study suggests that under the al-Sisi Government, Christians may be emerging into a more active period after a relative quiescence before the events of the 2011 Uprising.

Recenzje

"Christians in Egypt is a fascinating ethnography crafted with skill and clarity for a general readership. Andrea Rugh's admiration for Madame Ansaf shines through, along with her sensitivity to the daily challenges of Christian and Muslim women learning how to live in a rapidly changing Bulaq together." (Angie Heo, The Middle East Journal, 2016)

Spis treści

List of illustrations
Preface
1. Introduction: Study Questions and the History of Christianity in Egypt
2. The Origins of Bulaq and the Social Welfare Center
3. Christian Migration to Cairo
4. Bulaq Center Members
5. Christian Religious Community
6. Personal Relations in Creating Boundaries
7. Communicating the Messages of Christian Community
8. Dispute Resolution in the Community
9. Social Controls on Marriage
10. Formal Boundaries between Christians and Muslims
11. Everyday Interactions between Christians and Muslims
12. Christian and Muslim Family Organization
13. Resolving Personal Problems
14. Spirit Possession in Christian and Muslim Communities
15. Christian Community in a Muslim Quarter of Cairo
16. Christian Experience with National Politics to the Present
17. Christian Strategies and Survival in Modern Egypt
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index

O autorze

Andrea B. Rugh is Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, USA. She lived in the Middle East for more than 25 years, including six years in Egypt. She has published books on family in Egypt, childrearing in Syria, and political leadership in the UAE.