Suchergebnisse

Problems facing informal ("squatter") settlements in Egypt have increasingly gained public exposure through both media coverage and scholarly debates. Whereas the state public discourse reflects a pretence for developing these areas, this paper, through the study of the
relationship between the state and members living in three urban squatter areas, argues that government response towards squatters takes the following forms: negligence, demolition, relocation, and exploitation. Whereas demolition and relocation take place under exceptional conditions, negligence
and exploitation are the most common forms of the state response towards the marginal sector. This exploitation serves the state's public officials in lining their own pockets and provides a rich source of votes for the state political apparatus, which guarantee the continuity of the regime.
Thus, a culture characterised by its poverty is created among squatters where individual and personal interests attain precedence over communal interests, leading to more exploitation and corruption, which impedes the government developmental policies and programs, leading to a further weakening
of the state.

This book addresses two important matters of current concern to Middle East scholars: firstly, the nature of the Egyptian state and society and the interactive process between them and secondly, how change, which would finally lead to development, can be initiated. The book argues that the Egyptian case represents a weak authoritarian state, which through its coercive and repressive policies towards various societal forces, political parties, professional associations and organisations and individuals, creates a weak society. Individual behaviour in urban and rural communities, sometimes viewe

Am Beispiel von drei Fallstudien über informelle Siedlungen ('ashwa'iyyat) in Kairo diskutiert die Autorin ihre These, dass die fortgesetzte Ausbeutung der armen Stadtbewohner durch einen schwachen autoritären Staat eine schwache Gesellschaft schafft, die durch die Armut ihrer Kultur charakterisiert ist. (DÜI-Hns)