A comprehensive and accessible examination of contemporary issues in Egypt There have been few attempts to understand contemporary Egyptian society, in particular growing internal pressures for change and their implications for the Middle East and the wider world. This book presents a series of analyses of politics, culture, and society, addressing the turmoil created by imposition of neo-liberal economic policies, the increasingly fragile nature of an authoritarian regime, the influence of movements for democratic opening and popular participation, and the impacts of Islamism. The authors argue that Egypt has entered a period of instability and assess the ability of the state to resist the new movements and the latters’ capacity to fulfill their aims. Contributors: Anne Alexander, Joel Beinin, Ray Bush, Aida Seif El-Dawla, Rabab El-Mahdi, Philip Marfleet, Ahmed El-Sayed El-Naggar, Sameh Naguib.