GEOG 352 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Greater Cairo, Old Cairo, Arab Spring
Document Summary
10 million others live close (around nile delta) City of a thousand minarets very old city. Protests lasted 18 days; people marched, occupied public spaces and stood outside gov buildings. Western story is that it was a middle class revolution: educated youths posting on social media etc. But reports show middle class shrank to ~10% by 2010. Middle class defined as living on > a day. Focus on how people use the city: infrastructure, economy, networks etc. Everyday politics: the informal gives people power to resist. Infrastructure exists for mass protests etc. , but comes from everyday networks and processes that feed into the ability to mobilize. Main catalyst for development of informal sector. People not being able to afford public provisions. Encroachment: people moving in from other parts of the country in order to access public services. Old cairo the center, built up between 16th-19th centuries, under ottoman rule.
