AVANT GARDE
A Critical Narrative
A Call to Thought
I I
n our ffirst rst editorial meeting, we asked ourselves what Avant Garde means to us, and a number of di�erent dif erent ideas, feelings and directions emerged. The etymology of the word itself comes from the f rst rank of guards or army French denoting of the first soldiers who historically would be the ffirst rst to cross new lands and encounter the enemy. In our meeting however we brought up words like: revolutionary, progressive, pioneers, social change, creative artists, but also protectors, perhaps even outcast, among many others, and the Marxist/Anarchist association with the term should be clear enough to note, both historically and linguistically.
But there is another layer to what this namesake means to our publication. In realising the dominant culture around us, both on campus and globally, we are aware that f xed hierarchies, most organisations are structured into fixed with strong institutional memories that are imposed on new members, with little input from their part. Decision making, and in the process, meaning making, are both restricted to a small segment of the hierarchy. This is not what Avant Garde is about and therefore it can never emulate this model. Avant Garde is about consensual meaning-making, embracing a form of direct democracy when making decisions that puts all members on equal footing, and therefore the organisation becomes each one of ours. We each make it in our own image, and hence
are all empowered, and hopefully inspired to take a more revolutionary, steady, and engaged position on social change. The words you are reading now are in fact not the words of one person, since there is no Editor-In-Chief, but is instead the combined ideas we collectively agreed to present. We envision a world in which the masses are both empowered and inspired from within to be active engagers and changers of the system, but you cannot spread such f rst creating a rigid and exclusive hierarchy. a message by first We therefore create the kind of relations between us today, within our organisation, that we wish to see expand to include everyone in the future. Finally, it is important to note that we did not emerge out of a vacuum. Avant Garde is a political publication whose reason for existing spurred from the clear state of apathy, disengagement and depoliticisation that continues to plague the world, the closest of which to us is campus. We say plague, and it is a normative word of course, because in disengagement, in attempting to avoid politics, is to be unnatural and unhealthy. Politics is not an abstract idea. Politics is not a thing, but it is a relation. In that sense, inasmuch as we humans are either objects or subjects, we are as part of a relation with something or someone else, and in relation, there is power. To reject the political is to reject your existence. At a time when the university “leadership” (and yes we find the term problematic) believes it is wise to revert to a more authoritarian form of governance, excludes university constituents from decision making, and uses techniques of surveillance, discipline and fear as only the best authoritarian states would, then we cannot a�ord to be disengaged. In this light, we present to you Avant Garde, a platform to discuss complex academic ideas in simple terms, to engage common politics, to talk politics, all with the aim of producing knowledge that should inspire political and social change.
Avant Gardistas
Alia Gharara Antony Constantin Aseel Bahira Amin Mariam El Ashmawy Mariam Salem Marta Ashraf Marwa Gadallah Mohamed Ashraf Mohamed Tharwat Noman Ashraf Norhan Amin Seham Basel Shahzady Suquillo Tarek Radwan Yasmine Bouguerche Yasmine Haggag Youssef Fahmy Youstina Yasser
CONTENTS
Theory Casually Explained • Liberalism Explained
5
Political Analysis • Foucault and the Everyday
9
• Saudi Women Behind the Wheels
13
Arts • Avant-Garde Art: Innovation as Aestheticism
17
Fun Facts • Pocket Politics: Liberalism
21
Current Events • Everything you Need to Know about Cozying Up to Israel
23
Psychoanalysis • Charity is a Sin!
27
Op/Eds • Reimagining the Arab Spring
35
• Can you believe how filthy f lthy campus has become?
39
Liberalism Explained
implies that the state cannot take away a citizen’s property, or force a citizen to buy or sell her property in ways, she may not want to. Freedom of political participation gives
By: Shahzady Suquillo
the citizen the right to elect and be
Edited by: Mariam El Ashmawy
elected, whether to engage in politics
Freedom of the individual. Yes, it is
closely related to freedom of speech,
f rst probably true that this is the first principle that comes to your mind when we talk about the theory of liberalism. It is also true that we fail to understand its implications at the political, economic and social levels. di�cult It is rather di cult to try and separate these since they are related and exceptionally intertwined. Here is an attempt to explain it in general terms. Principles If the freedom of the individual is at the core of liberal thinking, it means that policy-makers should ensure [among others] freedom of speech, freedom of private ownership, freedom in political participation, access to education, employment, healthcare, and equality
or not. This particular freedom is because it gives a citizen the right to openly form or support political parties. The citizen’s views will eventually be expressed in parliament through these political parties. Their views oftentimes are not compatible with that of the existing regime, and in a liberal world, these political parties or individuals have the right to express such views without fear of being arrested… or killed. Access to education, employment and healthcare are also rights in the liberal view, where the state should not have the power to forcefully and systematically forbid a lawabiding citizen to attend school, be hospitalized, or get a job. The
before the law to all citizens.
interesting aspect is that it never says
Some of these rights need further
for those services. In other words,
explanation. For example, freedom to have private property does not only mean the right to own, buy and sell property as one pleases, but it also 5
it is the duty of the state to provide these services are provided by the private sector, by intelligent and rich prof t out of it. individuals who make profit
Theory Casually Explained
Political-Economic level
rights. Not only is state intervention
Since the liberal state welcomes
harmful to the individual, it is also
and encourages the private sector to
harmful for the economy both in the
flourish f ourish, it views state intervention in
short and long run. Let us imagine that
the economy as undesirable. In the
the wealthy landowner was using her
classical liberal view the state must
land for agriculture to produce the best
stay outside the market in order to
quality of potatoes, in large quantities
allow free competition and to refrain
and at the best [cheap] price. The
from protecting certain economic
government decides to confiscate conf scate a
sectors. For example, the state cannot
large portion of it, and the landowner
conf scate land of a wealthy landowner
is left with less land to produce. The
in order to redistribute it among the
confiscated conf scated land is given to poor people
less privileged. Such an action would
who do not work the land, and build
be considered as overriding the rights
scated their homes instead. This conf confiscated
of the wealthy landowner, because
land [which now has new owners]
the state did not respect her property
becomes an economically dead land, 6
because it is no longer making profit.
There is a new trend that strands from
wealthy as she was before, is left
This political and economic ideology
As for the landowner, who is not as
with less land. Less land means less
production, less production not only means less profit for the landowner but also less available potatoes to
consume. When there is scarcity of a product, prices go up (inflation), and inflation is by definition bad for any
economy. Those who suffer the most from inflation are the lower classes;
who cannot afford to buy products that are increasingly becoming expensive.
So, the landowner had a large portion of her land taken away from her, thus she was not allowed to compete
because she could no longer produce
the largest quantity of potatoes at the best price. Take this case at a macro level, the consequence is that the entire economy will suffer.
That is why the state
is kindly asked to mind its own business, and to leave the economy
to the market; to those businessmen and
landowners who know what they are doing. This is called a freemarket economy. 7
this school. It is called Neo-liberalism. does not suggest the state to stay
away from the economy, rather it uses the state apparatus itself to further
perpetuate free-market economies. It sounds contradictory but it is rather
quite simple. If a state wants to have
economic growth and wants to leave
the economy to the market, it should issue policies that will guarantee
this safe environment for economic
growth to take place. Let us assume
that state A, which produces the best broccoli at the best price wants to
trade with state B, which produces
the best strawberries, also at the best price. State A which has adopted
Neo-liberal policies not only ‘respects’ the landowner’s property
“A state has the right to be free from foreign intervention, which basically means that no state has the right to meddle into other states’ domestic affairs.”
rights and ‘allows’ her to trade with state B, but state A will also
issue a policy that will
permit this transaction to take place. One of these policies could be to decrease the taxes on imported
strawberries coming
from state B, in order for strawberries to
remain at a low and
affordable price for
consumers. In return state B will also
decrease taxes on broccoli. In that way
How do we make sure everything
both states are content with selling
runs smoothly between states? Well
their products at a relatively low price,
for liberals it is of utmost importance
and thus both sides prof profitt. So, the state
to create institutions and rules that
played an important role in allowing
maintain cooperation between states
trade to successfully take place by
and also to attain world peace. The UN
issuing policies of ‘decreasing taxes’ on
is a perfect example of an institution
imports.
that is based on these notions. Whether this is true in practice, it is up
This new political and economic
to the reader to decide.
system developed as a reaction to Marxism, which advocates for heavy
Liberals value democracy not only
state intervention in the economy. In
because -in their view- it perfects
the Marxist view this type of state
freedom but because democracies
is not as an institution whose prime
do not go to war with other
interest is the redistribution of wealth.
democracies. A state has the right
For Marxists, the state is a creation
to be free from foreign intervention,
of the bourgeoisie, and as such it is
which basically means that no state
natural for it to behave as a bodyguard
has the right to meddle into other
who will protect the interests of the
af airs. If there is a states domestic a�airs
businessmen.
particular disagreement -God forbid-, these democracies ought to resort to
International level
peaceful means [particularly dialogue]
Liberals focus on trade. Yes, it is
conflict ict resolution. for conf
as simple as that. It is practically impossible to have a fruitful and functioning trade if there is war. That is the very purpose of liberals; to seek peace. If states are heavily dependent on trade amongst each other it will become unlikely for them to go to war. Liberals believe that trade promotes economic growth, the answer is no longer the use of military force (it is not the 12th century anymore!).
8
‘truths’, in the objective sciences, or
Every word you
those widely accepted truths today
Foucault and the Everyday
By: Mariam Salem
read or will read is a simple product of an ongoing
and inevitable relation in our
pre and modern day society. A
relation which
does not suppose evil, goodness,
nor neutrality. It is a relation of
power. According to the prominent
French philosopher
whose views this article
will be discussing, power exists, and
comes from, everywhere. That which makes power a relation, an invisible being, is what makes it transcend
physical boundaries. It is also what
makes it the most dangerous strategy known to mankind. And that is
precisely why during the 20th century, Michel Foucault strove to dissect the
mechanisms and implications of power
in the otherworldly religions. One of is the ever-growing tolerance of the
Western civilization, and its acceptance of foreign culture, behavior, or even sexual deviations… this is one of
the main illusions Foucault centered his theories around. He argued that
knowledge is but a product, as well as a producer, of power relations.
The widely accepted truth of the kind
Western civilization does not reflect its
reality, but merely its global hegemony. For in order for it to have so readily understood foreign cultures, such
as those of the “primitive” Asians or Africans, it had not only to exclude
them, look down upon them, but also to exploit and conquer them. It then gained enough power to be able to present the African as mystical and superstitious, and the indigenous
American peoples as barbaric and
even “mad”. This seamless process of exclusion, disguised as one of
understanding and tolerance, is the
modern capitalist state’s greatest feat.
in our modern capitalist state.
Since the Greek era, Western
The brilliance of the state system
of the “mad man” in various ways.
throughout the 19th and 20th
centuries lay in overcoming the
boundaries of physical control, finding place instead in the widely accepted 9
civilization has focused on the image First, he was portrayed in plays,
literature, and works of art, in the Middle Ages and up to the 17th
century, as a mysterious phenomenon
which put them there, in classrooms,
wasn’t until the 19th century, with
where students are lined up in rows
the rise of both capitalism and the
much similar to those of the assembly
sciences, that the “mad man” was
lines. The streets, appropriated by
diagnosed, and institutionalized
of cerse cers, the state through the police o�cers
within the newly formed asylums.
the surveillance cameras, and all the
The seclusion decreased and the
way to slogans, banners, and ongoing
process started taking a more moral
media which all function as products
inclination, one of social deviance.
of the state’s power and control.
The e�cient capitalist system needed
And so, “Is it surprising that prisons
ef cient measures of control equally e�cient
resemble factories, schools, barracks,
def nition over its workers, and so the definition
hospitals, which all resemble prisons?”
of “madness” has become completely
(Foucault, 1988). Society has become
and utterly decided by the state and
confinement nement house, and the mad the conf
its forces. Frans Hals, a Dutch Golden
are those who defy it.
Age painter, accurately depicted the modern-day image of madness in a
“Madness borrowed its face from
portrait named “The Regents”. The
the mask of the beast.” (Foucault,
f ve old women sitting portrait shows five
1979). It is a well-known truth that the
around a table, whose job it is to run
Western civilization has always been
the house of imprisonment, where all
the most tolerant and understanding
“socially worthless” people are taken.
of all, but to know madness- it had to
These elderly women are merely an
have excluded it. The knowledge and
expression of society’s rationalization
understanding it allegedly gained came
which sets madness apart, and the
at a cost of bans, denials, rejections,
mad house an expression of the state.
and most importantly, exploitation. It
The asylum functions no longer as
did not understand the foreign nation
a medical institution, but as a place
- it conquered it and then convinced it
where power and power relations are
that it needs help. It institutionalized
exercised. And that is why it functions
the man and then convinced society of
for the modern-day society; the asylum
his madness. Its sciences unceasingly
is not merely for the namely “mad”. Its
came to be at the cost of oppression
idea is prevalent within the factories,
- 19th century Puritanism suppressed
the laborers being the “mad men”,
sexuality and then the concept
constantly surveyed and undergoing
was introduced to Psychology and
the ef ects of the power relations
Psychoanalysis. Biology, Economics, 10
Political Analysis
to be feared. He was secluded. It
and Linguistics. These are all dif erent
you where or how to go on from this
disciplines yet they all follow the same
very point, for I myself do not know.
unconscious roots which lie in the
But I will urge you to ceaselessly cling
power relations of the time. And so,
onto those ideas you have always
throughout this article I have taken the
found comfort within, then dismantle
example of madness for the sake of
them.
explaining a very simple yet powerful concept: knowledge, is too, a product
Sources
of power. Power which has historically def ned madness and sanity, exclusion
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish:
and integration, tolerance and barbarity.
The Birth of the Prison. 1979. Print.
Consciousness must arise in the fact that this power is not physical nor comprehendible, it is an idea... a notion‌ a norm, which penetrates its way into the human mind, into the human behavior, and names itself truth. It then plants itself onto the minds of close relatives, of friends, of lovers, of all of those whose words you swallow so easily, and even in the very fabric of this article. Foucault did not write to criticize, or to destroy, or to evoke an existentialist crisis. He wrote to remind us that our very beliefs might not be reality, and that our reality might not be truth. He wrote and shared his theories not for the mere sake of sharing them, but also to make sure that he no longer believed in that which he theorized against. He wrote to become something other than what he was. To not merely tell a history, but instead to question how that history came to be. And that is the purpose of this article. I cannot tell 11
Foucault, Michel. Madness and
Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Print.
Frans Hals, The Women Regents, 1664 (Source: wikimedia.org)
Saudi Women Behind the Wheels By: Norhan Amin
taken. The state has even gone so far as
Edited by: Yasmine Haggag
detaining the activists involved in these def ance. acts of defiance
f nally Saudi women A royal decree has finally Due to its conservative nature and its
decree was announced on Saudi state
strong adoption of the Sharia Law,
television on Tuesday and will come
Saudi Arabia had allowed government
e�ect ect in June next year. into ef
o�cials of cials and clerics to provide
The lift of this ban is considered to be the result of years of activism and numerous attempts from both within and outside the Gulf nation to remove a major symbol of female oppression cial in Saudi Arabia. There is no of o�cial agreement stating how this policy should be implemented, yet a newlyformed committee is to look into this issue. The decree has been met with a lot of enthusiasm, especially in the Arab world. While this event is seen to be worthy of being celebrated, it is crucial that we ask ourselves if it really is so. Over the years, Saudi women activists have tried to lift the ban several times. Some women have gone behind the wheel as an act of def ance towards the state, yet no action has ever been 13
(Source: bbc.com)
the right to get behind the wheel. The
women.
standing ban. The decree thus noted that the The ban was not only justif ed
Ulamma, or Muslim Scholars, had
on religious grounds, but also as
agreed that “the original Islamic ruling
consistent with Saudi culture; which
in regards to women driving is to allow
deemed it as an inappropriate act that
it” and any opposition is on the basis of
would lead to the destruction of the
“excuses that are baseless and have no
traditions of the Saudi family. Some
predominance of thought”.
simply claimed that men would not be able to deal with women drivers next
Given the spread of such “excuses”,
to them. Whatever the excuse, they all
the recent decree was challenged
fall under the patriarchal, sexist, and
and resisted inside the kingdom. The
plain unfair claims used to suppress
patriarchal nature of the society and
Political Analysis
“legitimate” explanations for this long-
family serves as an actual obstacle for
women will now have a chance to
women to freely practice this basic act:
participate actively in the workforce,
driving.
without having to resort to male relatives, or personal drivers. It also
The ending of the ban was met with
helps eliminate a source of worldwide
anger and discontent online and on
disapproval, thus augmenting global
social media outlets. Several unnamed
investment and diversity in the
sources called for violent responses
economy.
towards this decree and toward any woman found driving in the streets.
The passing of this decree was of great political and social importance,
An unnamed Twitter user allegedly
since it portrayed the government’s
called men who supported this decree
commitment to reformation and
as “cuckolds who should be killed”. The
“modernization”. According to Saudi
Saudi public prosecutor has issued an
Ambassador Prince Khalid bin Salman,
arrest warrant for this user, as well as
women will be able to issue their
another individual who shared a video
driver’s license without asking for
online threatening to attack female
permission from their male guardians;
drivers.
even though guardianship laws still give males power over their female
Nonetheless, actual implementation
relatives.
of new policies in the recent years has opened the door for several major
Guardianship laws state that women
changes in what is seen as conservative Saudi Arabia. Recently, women were given the chance to vote and run for positions in the local councils. Also, a large number of women now work in dif erent professions.
cannot travel abroad,
“It could be viewed that this decree came to exist in order to “shift” the image portrayed of Saudi Arabia abroad.”
work or access certain health care without the consent of their male guardian; usually the father, husband, or son. Although more freedom has been given to Saudi women in the past few
years, male relatives still have power to The lifting of this ban is said to help boost the country’s economy, since 15
limit the actions of the females.
It could be viewed that this decree
other important economic purposes.
came to exist in order to “shift” the image portrayed of Saudi Arabia
This decree came with a rush of
abroad. Being the last country to allow
policies, which are part of the
women to drive, Saudi Arabia has
Saudization scheme of the Ministry
ffinally nally taken an initiative that will make
of Labour and Social Development
living in the kingdom more like “life
(MLSD), known as the Nitaqat
elsewhere”.
signifies es Program. The Nitaqat program signif a set number of local employees any
Lifting the ban is considered a huge
entity must have before hiring foreign
milestone for Saudi women in
workers.
achieving some basic rights. Not only is getting behind the wheel an act of
The implications this program has, and
physical liberation, it can also be seen
the changes it entails, all fall under the
as metaphoric freedom. The act of
ef orts to generate Saudi authorities’ e�orts
defies es the patriarchal society in driving def
more employment opportunities for
which these women live in, and taking
f ght Saudi nationals. In attempts to fight
this step will ensure that they will be
unemployment, Saudi authorities are
able to gain more representation in the
using the program to cut down foreign
future.
workers and employ more Saudis in the workforce. The program thus aims at
Yet, that is probably not the only
improving job performance, redirecting
benef ts or reason; there must be other benefits
the economy away from dependence
else why was this decree passed now?
on oil revenue, and privatizing state
In attempts to diversify the economy
assets.
and accommodate non-oil based investments, the country had to create a welcoming community for foreign, diverse investments. How else would they attract investors if a culture of repression is still apparent; in this case banning women from driving for the sole reason that they are female. The decree can therefore be seen as not purely humanitarian, but rather had 16
Avant-Garde Art: Innovation as Aestheticism 17
By: Yasmine Haggag Edited by: Marta Ashraf With every art movement throughout history, there came an innovator who wanted to make some changes. That’s how movements are born. You had da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Klimt, Cezanne, Goya, and so many more who all broke away and developed their own styles. Artistry relies on representing the things you know, feel, or see in order to pass on a certain message. Now, the element of politics in art is a factor people don’t really pay attention to. Politics has been making its way into art for thousands of years because of the relationship between patrons and artists. The earliest example of such a relationship would have to be the pharoahs of Egypt when they would commission steles and frescoes that incorporated hierarchy of scale; they made themselves larger than all the f gures to emphasize their other figures dominance over them. Even religious art was eventually used as a tool by the uence people during the church to inf influence medieval period. My point is, political art has been around for a pretty long time but when asked, people tend
garde art in the 1900s, you still had
f rst occurrence of artists being the first
people like de Goya a century earlier
Arts
to refer to the First World War era as politically active. I’ll admit, it was
who made equally inf uential pieces influential
rst time on a mass probably the ffirst
like the Third of May, 1808, which he
scale because of how far reaching
produced to commemorate the French
the war was, which we will get to in a
f ghters massacring Spanish freedom fighters
nitely wasn’t the ffirst rst minute, but it def definitely
during the Spanish uprising against the
occurrence.
French at the time of the Peninsular War (when Napoleon Bonaparte
As for the concept of “avant garde”,
decided to make his big bro, Joseph
the term is meant to denote anything
I, the king of Spain - because why
experimental and unorthodox with
not). Art is meant to evoke a kind of
respect to art, culture, and society.
response out of people and if someone
Basically, anyone who broke away
needs to explain the meaning behind
from the norms and decided to do
a work of art to you then the artist
their own thing. I’m here to say that
hasn’t done their job. In a way, all art
avant garde art movements shouldn’t
is political in the sense that it takes
just be limited to the 20th century
place in a public space and engages
because the term actually has a very
with already existing principles and
nition. The term is used broad def definition
a dominant discourse. Avant-gardists
loosely to link anything that people
sought to alter that discourse.
of a certain epoch deemed innovative and unorthodox. Sure, it was more
One of the most well-regarded artistic
encouraged after impressionism came
styles of the avant garde movement
into the picture (thank you Claude
was cubism. Of way, pioneered by
Monet), perhaps because the 19th
Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon,
century brought so many transitions
although some will say Braque was
after the Industrial Revolution and
f rst cubist painter. The movement the first
change was looked at more positively,
sought to represent a conceptual
but movements like these have been
perspective of reality rather than a
slowly making their way into modern
perceptual one, which entailed having
art since the Renaissance. Avant garde
three main features: geometricity,
doesn’t have to be limited to the
distortion and deformation of known
many movements that rose in the last
f gures, and overlapping planes. At figures
century. While Pablo Picasso and Henri
f rst glance, cubist paintings would first
definitely nitely contributed to avant Matisse def
probably look like abstract scribbles 18
on a canvas, however, when looked
was an abstract, expressionist piece
at more closely, we can start making
that emphasized the use of abstract
sense of all the distorted lines and
forms and bold colors. Marc’s goal was
overlapping planes. One explanation
to use form and symbolism as tools
for this was that the First World War
to visualize what he
mortified mortif ed people as a result of of thethe
saw as the toxic state
death toll, and artists tried to represent
of the modern world.
their confusion, anger, and disapproval.
Just like Marc, Picasso’s
Often confused for expressionism,
goal was to represent
cubism could not have been developed
the toxic state of our
without the expressionist movement,
modern world, through
seeing as they share similar features.
cubism, in his painting
Some will argue that “the broken
Guernica, 1937. After the
battlefields battlef elds, with their torn earth and
bombing of a Spanish
their trees at crazy angles, looked
town by the same
like cubist paintings”. Let us look at a
name, the government commissioned
pre-WW1 expressionist example made
the painting and Picasso set about
by a soldier who served in the army
to create one of the most famous
and died at Verdun; Franz Marc’s Der
revolutionary artworks of the 20th
Mandrill, 1913. The build up of events
century. It was a gory, truthful
that eventually led to the catastrophe
representation ofofthe theatrocities atrocitiesofof
that was World War I created a kind of
the bombing and meant to remind the
tension within societies. Der Mandrill
viewer of the tragedies war is capable inf icting upon of inflicting civilians, especially the innocent. A notable example of a similarly revolutionary artwork to Picasso’s Guernica from the Romantic period, and actually inspired it, was in fact Goya’s Third of May,
1808. Franz Marc, Der Mandrill, 1913 (Source: flipboard f ipboard.com)
19
Speaking from an art
history student’s point of view, it is
be. He broke away with a national
define ne nearly impossible to concisely def
tradition, and therefore, subverted the
what Romanticism was. Romantic
state’s attempt to use art to rally the
cation of all artists sought the glorif glorification
masses. How do all these share elements of avant garde resistance? The avant garde broke boundaries in the sense that it welcomed the idea of change and innovation that traditionalists would’ve normally disregarded. Cubism is just one of the many movements that were born out of this revolutionary ideology and it heavily relied on the
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937 (Source: thinglink.com)
influence inf uence of already existing styles and movements; such as expressionism
things. They focused on emotional
and romanticism. In essence, an avant
emphasis as well as, you guessed it,
garde movement, timeless as it is, is
current events. Goya’s work diverged
born out of a need to revolutionize.
from the features of Christian art
ref ected the unease of their Artists reflected
and the traditional depictions of war,
time and revolutionizing art became a
meaning it had no distinct precedent,
means of revolutionizing life.
and is acknowledged as one of the ffirst rst paintings of the modern era. Commissioned by the government of Spain, just like Guernica, it was a very unheroic representation of the uprising which wasn’t usual of wartime paintings in the Romantic era. Antiwar paintings were meant to ts of war but glorify the benef benefits Goya strayed away from that and tried not to sugarcoat how detrimental war can
Francisco de Goya, Third of May, 1908 (Source: courses.lumenlearning.com)
20
Pocket Politics: Liberalism
intervention.
• John Locke is often credited with
• Egyptian Liberalism emerged in
founding Liberalism as a distinct
ef orts the 19th century led by the e�orts
Fun Facts
By: Alia Gharara
philosophical tradition in the 17th
Lutfi Al-Sayed Pasha who of Ahmed Lutf
rst century. Furthermore, Liberalism ffirst
was known as the professor of the
became a distinct political movement
generation, as a liberal who believed
in the 18th century that was known
in equality between Egyptians. He also
as the age of enlightenment. Spanish
introduced John Stuart Mill’s work to
Liberals were the first f rst to use the word
the Egyptian society so that they may
f ght liberal in a political context to fight
educate themselves on concepts of
for the implementation of the 1812
Liberalism.
constitution.
Ahmed Lutfi Lutf Al-Sayed Pasha (1872-1963)
John Locke (1632-1704) (Source: gdcinteriors.com)
• The 19th and 20th century mark the spread of Liberalism in the Middle East during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, Liberalism influenced a period of reforms that led to the rise of constitutionalism,
(Source: wikimedia.org)
• In the 18th century, Mary Wollstonecraft is a British philosopher regarded as the pioneer of Liberal Feminism. Wollstonecraft started in her writings to comment on society’s view of women and to encourage them to use their voices to attain their rights.
Nationalism and secularism. As a result, Liberalism led to Islamic revivalism. • According to the Social Progress Index (SPI) 2014, New Zealand is the most liberal country because it has the highest percentage of personal rights, freedom and lowest governmental
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) (Source: wikimedia.org)
22
Everything you Need to Know about Cozying Up to Israel By: Mariam El Ashmawy
the leading newspaper of Israel,
Edited by: Yasmine Bouguerche
reporting on the establishment of
II
newly diplomatic presence in the UAE
f you’re too swamped with
as a way to bridge the two countries
assignments, or just couldn’t
together. There’s also the Bahraini
bother to catch up on the
monarch blatantly denouncing any
news, fear not! We’re here to
boycotts of Israel by other Arab states,
break down important regional
and encouraging his own citizens to
events to keep you in the loop.
pay Israel a visit. This nice initiative by
Since we’ve already celebrated
the Bahraini King got him hailed by
the 6th of October 73’ war
of cials as “ahead of the pack Israeli o�cials
in the past month; we might
and smart”. President Sisi also joined
as well highlight the latest headlines featuring our friendly neighbourhood resident: Israel. So What’s up? There’s been considerable cozying up going on with the state of Israel by some prominent Arab states. On top of the list are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. We have Haaretz,
Meeting between PM Netanyahu and President Sisi during the UN General Assembly 2017. (Source: gulfeyes.net)
23
e�orts regimes’ ef orts at gaining the approval
asserting the importance of the Israeli
of the US by forming an alliance to join
citizen’s safety twice; by going of script of his UN speech in the General Assembly to show how sincere he is. Even Qatar has decided to ignore that little schism between it and the Gulf countries, and hitch a ride to the Israeli lobby. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, is especially happy with the ‘best-ever’ ties with the Arabs. Where is this coming from, you ask?
Donald Trump in Jerusalem during his first f rst Middle Eastern trip as the newly elected president of the USA. (Source: charismanews.com)
in on the “War on Terror”. Also we’ve Well, like all roads in the past led to
seen them battle it out by going
Rome; nowadays, all roads lead to
against Qatar, which is seen as the
Trump. We can trace it all back to his
f nancer of ISIS, the Muslim main financer
visit to Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh 2017
Brotherhood, and also best friends to Iran. The Iran predicament has been the everlasting thorn in the side of the Gulf states, plaguing them to no end; f y you keep swatting away like the fly but it just never leaves you alone. Nuclear weapons threat, blooming
Riyadh Summit 2017. El Sisi, Trump, Melania, and Salman huddle around the glowing globe.
business that could overshadow the oil economies of the Gulf countries, and of course propagandist agents
(Source: ukstar.org)
that could rile up Shiite rebel groups
Summit; the smiling grins of the Arab
against Sunni-governments, Iran stands
leaders and Trump as they embraced
accused of all of the following. Let’s
the shiny globe, marking the beginning
not forget the issue of the bad blood
of new relations laced with some,
between the US and Iran; especially
nancial payof or a lot of ffinancial payo� for both
with how the 1979 Islamic revolution
sides. Later, we’ve started seeing Arab
deposed the US’s installed Shah and 24
Current Events
in with the rest of the Arab states,
ruined diplomatic relations between
concerns of the Gulf states that fuels
the two that have remained sour until
them, but also the political implications
now; with new trouble brewing over
of the empowerment of an anti-sunni
the US’s hostility against Iran’s Nuclear
government movement of shiites,
Deal. And so another way to gain the
that could possibly destabilize their
US’ approval is to cozy up with its
legitimacy. Economic implications are
watchdog in the Middle East who can
also a concern for Gulf-States when
solve all the Irani problems: Israel.
it comes to Iran. Experiencing the fastest and highest growing economy
Is it our curse to always be people pleasers?
in 15 years, Iran had recorded a 7 f scal year percent GDP growth in the fiscal of 2016, this gives pause to the oil-rich
Not really? Let’s be real, conservative
monarchies in the gulf whom are
Arab regimes do one thing better than
undergoing economic challenges due
anything else: hold onto their power
diversif cations within to their lack of diversifications
no matter what the cost is. And in
their economies. They fear this newly
this case, the cost is ignoring all the
established economic power of Iran
bad blood between Arab societies
would allow it to amass new revenues
and Israel, and just turning over a
f nance their expansionary to further finance
new leaf. Okay, name one common
goals within the region, thus
interest between the conservative
encroaching on Gulf states’ waning
Gulf states and Israel? If you said Iran,
uence. So they play nice spheres of inf influence
then congrats you’ve been keeping up!
with Israel, Israel keeps Iran in its place,
The Gulf states’ legitimacy is the one
and their legitimacy is safe and sound.
thing they hold dear, and by aligning themselves with Israel, they’re able to
Fear not, we’re not always the US’
amass enough political AND military
puppets; sometimes we take things
influence uence. power to curb down Iran’s inf
into our hands to feed o� our interests.
inf uence of Iran This threatening influence
Nevermind the years of struggle and
manifests itself in two aspects; both
the people kicked out of their homes!
religious and economic. The Gulf
As long as the “fearsome Shi’ite
f nd it paramount to reduce States find
web” of Iran is under control and the
Iran’s attempts at riling up sectarian
monarchies are happy and stable, then
strife through empowering the Shi’ite
Israel isn’t so bad, it’s just a new good
denominations within the Gulf states.
friend!
However, it’s not purely religious 25
“And in this case, the cost is ignoring all the bad blood between Arab societies and Israel, and just turning over a new leaf.�
Edited by: Yasmine Bouguerche In some circumstances, the people
who do most harm are the ones who
try to do the-most good. This includes
those of churches, mosques, religious institutions and cancer hospitals who provide solely for the poor and the
unfortunate. NGOs and private funded clubs are thanked by millions for
supporting their dire basic needs, and of those volunteers or members, who surround themselves with hideous
environments to help the needy. It is so much easier to have compassion
with suffering than compassion with thought. Our emotions are easily
staggered than our intelligence since
the rhetoric of charities is to stir your emotions, not your intelligence.
We all watched the ads of charity
organizations during Ramadan with our families, portraying images of
suffering, human misery and ecological decay. But has anyone took a deeper psychoanalytical look at the ads
themselves? The ads simply tell you:
“These people need help! Donate to
empathy with the victims
Charity is a Sin!
By: Youssef Fahmy
as a lure which prevents us from thinking.
A great example to this “lure” is the situation
of the Syrian civil war. Many humanitarian
aid organizations rush to help the refugees and those suffering
from the war, including
thousands of volunteers from MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) and
other UN organizations such as WFP and
UNICEF. But somehow, Resolution 2043 of the UN only grants 304
military personnel for
an almost non-existing “peacekeeping”
mission. There are more millions of dollars going
to refugees and shelters than millions to stop
the war itself. Charity
organizations are not
helping the Syrians, but
us and we’ll fix it.” They use shocking
are indulging them. In the case of the
women and children in suffering
is the war itself, instead of eliminating
statistics, pictures and videos of
and how no other organization is
doing much work as them. These
“humanitarian aid companies” use our 27
Syrian war, the cause of the poverty the source of poverty and despair, which is the war, they only seem
to keep it alive, which is helping in
aid organizations followed, as if some ffiltering ltering mechanism stopped it from
by promising a better life. This sad
reaching its full impact. Time magazine
reality reminds me of the aftermath of
should have stuck to the usual
the Yugoslavian wars, when the world
mainstream news back then: Muslim
rejoiced with the headlines of “the war
women and their plight in the Middle
is coming to an end” (even though
East or 9/11 and the Iraqi war. To put it
the ethnic tensions within the former
cynically, the death of a Congolese (in
communist state transformed into an
the eyes of media), is almost worthless
even bloodier war). Or how Egyptian
compared to the death of a Syrian or
news anchors, liberal economists and
Bank. est bank. even a Palestinian in the West
the wealthy celebrate the news of an economist article detailing “signs of life
So let’s return to the Ramadan ads
and growth in the Egyptian economy”;
on TV and the civil war. Why did the
in Lacan’s analysis, this is an example
media, when reporting on Congo,
of how reality doesn’t matter, in this
not receive the same massive
case, only capital matters.
humanitarian uproar as Syria? And why do the Ramadan ads show so much
We can also compare the response
sense of urgency? Do we need further
of the aid organizations in Syria to
proof that this humanitarian sense of urgency is indeed
the response of aid organizations in Congo 2006 : The cover of Time magazine in June 2006 was “The Deadliest War
“Even Bill Gates himself promised to donate 90% of his wealth to anonymous charity organizations
in the World”, a
when he dies. This can be
detailed news of
compared to slave owners
how more than 4
million Congolese were killed due to political violence. None of the usual uproar of humanitarian
treating their slaves with kindness, in order for them not to realize the violent system they actually live under.“
overdetermined by clear political considerations? Let us also talk of philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, who are praised by (supposed) leftists and liberals for attempting to eradicate poverty. Even Bill Gates himself promised 28
Psychoanalysis
creating an influx inf ux of refugees, known as the refugee crisis (as we all know)
to donate 90% of his wealth to
baked” socialism or “authoritarian”
anonymous charity organizations
socialism as we have seen in the USSR,
when he dies. This can be compared
but socialism. The ultimate collectivist
to slave owners treating their slaves
system, a society reconstructed from
with kindness, in order for them
the start to systematically eliminate
not to realize the violent system
poverty other than the failed methods
they actually live under. Even Noam
being used now. In Oscar Wilde’s
Chomsky, a political activist praised by
“The Soul of Man under Socialism”,
millions, when asked about Bill Gates’s
he writes, ‘Socialism, Communism,
philanthropy, simply replied with:
or whatever, one chooses to call it, by
‘There have always been benevolent
converting private property into public
aristocrats. That doesn’t make me fall
wealth, and substituting co-operation
in love with the feudal system.’ Oscar
for competition, will restore society
Wilde’s 1891 article, “The Soul of Man
to its proper condition of a thoroughly
Under Socialism”, claims that charity
healthy organism, and insure the
‘is not a solution: it is an aggravation of
material well-being of each member
the dif culty. The proper aim is to try
of the community.’ Socialism is based
and reconstruct society on such a basis
on the principle of each according to
that poverty will be impossible.’ In this
their ability, to each according to their
case, we can also compare charity
contribution. Work is a necessity in
organizations as a gift of Danaoi.
(at least the early stages of) socialism.
Danaoi is Homer’s term for the Greeks
The di�erence dif erence between socialism
who laid siege to Troy, in which the gift
and capitalism does not have to do
was the Trojan horse, which enabled
with whether or not we work, but
the Greeks to penetrate Troy and lay
rather with why and how we work.
siege to it. “Greek gifts” became a
In a capitalist economy the worker
benef cial byword for favors that are beneficial
does not work for themselves or the
but will damage the receiver, from a
community or some cause; they work
line in Virgil ‘Timeo Danaos, et dona dano
for the capitalist, serving his goal
ferentes’- I fear the Greeks, even when
of accumulating wealth, and on the
they bring gifts.
capitalist’s conditions. You’re certainly “free” to not work and subsequently
The reader must now be thinking
go homeless and starve. In socialism
“then what is the alternative? What
(social ownership and control over the
should we do to help?” The answer
means of production) the worker works
will always be socialism. Not “half
for the collective - and by extension,
29
for themselves. It is the collective
having done ‘a good thing’, the other
responsibility of each democratically
involves realizing why people are in
controlled workplace to decide what
the situation they are in and looking for
to produce and how to produce it. This
systemic solutions to the problems.
means that production works for the benef benefitt of all, rather than an individual
Back in the spurge of the African
of ce or who owns the factory or o�ce
Communist revolutions in the 1960s
farm or otherwise.This all begs the
era, revolutionary leader Thomas
question: isn’t the good of everyone a
Sankara, implemented a Marxist/
better incentive than forcible coercion
f rst few years, Leninist system. In his first
by threat of social and economic
he dismantled the IMF loan along with
ramif cations? ramifications
more than one hundred million dollars
And the final f nal example would be from
to the UN. Despite his actions, the
Archbishop Helder Camara, ‘Everytime
country still progressed economically
I bring food to the poor, they call me
and socially. He was able to vaccinate
f nancial aid and sent them back of financial
a saint. Everytime I ask why, they
millions of people and literacy went up
call me a communist.’ There is a fear
to almost 85% (a huge achievement in
of addressing root causes to hunger
Africa at that time). Basically saying,
such as poverty because this requires
Sankara systematically tried to erase
stepping back and looking at our
poverty, which could have been
own society for the answers. It’s easy
possible if he was not assassinated by
to blame the poor as alcoholics or
revisionists in the 1980s. Even when
unmotivated individuals who just don’t
socialism failed in Burkina Faso and the
want anything better for themselves,
east, it’s important to point out that in
but looking at poverty in the context of
systems where socialism “collapsed”,
a social system that has allowed such
it only went down with the rest of the
a state to occur and not provided for
world kicking it. Other socialist states,
people involves guilt. It also involves a
the Bavarian SSR for example despite
f nd solutions often requiring duty to find
being very progressive, failed when
spending money on services and
they were conquered. Finally, others
welfare, things that are not politically
were forced by outside pressures
popular among middle class voters.
to transition. After the fall of the
Our culture focuses on charity rather
Soviet Union, many smaller socialist
than solidarity. One involves us feeling
states lost their only allies, and were
temporarily better about ourselves for
essentially granted the ultimatum to
31
“Our culture focuses on charity rather than solidarity.�
“Charity is no friend of the poor.”
abandon communism, or perish.
Zizek, Slavoj. The sublime object of
ideology. Verso, 2009. Charity is no friend of the poor. It is simply a byproduct of the violent
Fiennes, Sophie, director. The Pervert’s
capitalist global political system and is
Guide to Cinema. Mischief Films, 2006.
therefore just as violent as capitalism itself (violence is not necessarily
http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/
physical or mental!). In this capitalist
missions/past/unsmis/news.shtml
nd peace world, the poor will never ffind and will continue to live under the
https://libertyroadmedia.
totalitarian capitalist system, turning its
com/2016/06/03/chomsky-on-
invisible wheels, under constant fear of
f nancialization-vs-capitalism-thatfinancialization
losing their families and lives if they do
doesnt-make-me-fall-in-love-with-the-
not comply.
feudal-system/
Sources:
Roberts, David. Human Insecurity:
Global Structures of Violence. Zed Lacan, Jacques. The Four Fundamental
Books, 2013.
Concepts of Psychoanalysis. W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. Guy, Josephine M. “Oscar Wilde and socialism.” Oscar Wilde in Context, pp. 242–252. Zizek, Slavoj. In defense of lost causes. Verso, 2009. Zizek, Slavoj. “The Violence of Liberal Democracy.” Assemblage, no. 20, 1993. Zizek, Slavoj. Lacan. Granta, 2006. Zizek, Slavoj. Did somebody say
totalitarianism?: five interventions in the (Mis)Use of a notion. 34
By: Noman Ashraf
simply a historical part of a wave
Edited by: Antony Constantin
of uprising and downfall. It was not a radical change in the ways
Freedom, Justice and Democracy were
in which the people perceived
the main goals of the popular uprisings
their power. Thus it did not serve
known as the Arab Spring. The hopeful
as a major shifting point between
aspirations gave the uprisings a catchy
two old and new paradigms. My
good-sensing label. The term, Arab
argument is simply that the Arab
Spring, has been debated, argued upon
Spring is a point in history that
and even recently neglected in both
signals a move from a period to
academic and non-academic contexts.
another in a series of perhaps
At some point, it became redundant
never-ending events.
to mention the Arab spring in every assessment of our society. Arab Spring
Media and analysts quite often
simply has been overused. The Arab
repeated the term “spring�. However
society currently tends to blame all
most academics would tend to be
our problems on the Arab Spring.
critical of the term. They simply
True, many of our sociopolitical issues
questioned if the revolutions deserved
were aggravated by the events of the
to be titled as such. Others went ahead
Arab Spring, but over analyzing it is
to call it a winter as they dubbed it a
not going to lead to any constructive
failure. The problem is not with the
solutions. The problem is not in the
labels used. It is also not with the
concept but rather in the term and our
spectrum of failure to success that
perception of it.
we judge revolutions and events on. In fact, anyone is completely free
The Arab spring was not a spring
to judge the uprisings in whatever
neither a winter. In a nutshell, the Arab
way they see them. There are many
spring is a point in a wave that is to be
reasons why we could conclude that
followed by other points. Hence it was
the events were neither a success
Reimagining Reimagining the the Arab Arab Spring Spring
that life is a series of waves (Let’s say a timeline of waves) in which there are high points of achievement (crests) and downfalls where the society is at its lowest (troughs). Hence, the Arab spring was just a normal point in this huge life wave. It could be viewed as either a low or a high point in the wave. But with the concept of wave, there theoretically no possible major
nor a failure. Moreover, others who
event to start with. What is important
think that the situation was shadowy
in my viewpoint is that those waves are
aren’t entirely right. The spring wasn’t
a mixture of never ending events that
a real awakening as it was portrayed.
span across time and space. Hence, it
This is because actors participating
is very likely that such an event might
di�erent dif erent in uprisings and events had di
occur again. Nevertheless, the Arab
and deceiving motives. They were not
Spring in itself holds a great value as
committed to their stated objectives.
it teaches us a lot about the power
There was an awakening followed by
of will and the people’s voice. It also
an immediate betrayal. The situation
does tell us a lot about ourselves and
is not to be judged at all but rather
has changed our perception of state,
understood as a separate phenomenon
power, human rights and violence.
dif erent context. Therefore, the in a di�erent di “Arab Spring” is neither a spring nor a
A series of revolutions could happen
winter.
anytime in the Arab region. They have happened towards the end
My basic opinion is that the Arab
of the Ottoman empire, during the
spring is just a checkpoint in a long
era of Nasserism, during the peak
historical timeline. With all the
of Nasserism and during the 2011
sacrif ces, emotions and activism, sacrifices
uprisings. Yet, regardless of the degree
it is understandable why the Arab
of their success and their goals, the
Spring would be called a major event
Arab uprisings of 2011 are undeniably
because it ended decades of despotic
symbolic. Because they are a step
regimes. Yet it is clearly not a shifting
forward in a never ending journey of
or a turning point from a stage to
discovery and empowerment. 36
Op/Eds
(Source: nytimes.com)
another. The way I perceive reality is
What is wrong about the term
goals of all revolutionaries. It would
Arab spring is that nations build
be similar to an Italian renaissance
expectations around it. This has led to
but one that stems from our own
severe disappointments. If we were to reconsider the revolutions as a process
societal values and aspirations. This is deďŹ nitely not an intention to copy the
of experimenting and learning, the
Eurocentric model but rather to initiate
Arab societies would have had less
a movement within the same moment
expectations from
and radical thirst for
future uprisings
change stemming
and would be
from the Arab
able to better plan
region itself. The
their resistance.
Arab renaissance
The Arab Spring
would truly link
revolutions were
past to the future
not complete
and transform
revolutions, at
our societies to
least not in the
the better. This
def nitions most deďŹ nitions
renaissance should
of revolutions.
not be driven by grievances and
Arabs need a
socioeconomic
renaissance rather
demands; it should
than springs
be inspired by a
and winters.
real momentum of
This renaissance
transformation and
would be a full
change. A reformist
package, with a
modernist led by
post-revolutionary
the society itself.
political and
Until the Arab
development
renaissance, we are
plan. It would
just experimenting
be a plan that
with seasons
addresses all
that will teach us
parties and
important valuable
works to achieve
lessons in the most
the common
harsh ways.
37
“Arabs need a renaissance rather than springs and winters. This renaissance would be a full package, with a post-revolutionary political and development plan.�
“Can you believe lthy campus how ffilthy has become?” On AUC Discourse, Policy, and Where We Are Heading By: Aseel Edited by: Norhan Amin
a singular insular matter. Therefore, in
world presents
historicising and totalising our view,
itself to us
we begin to see a pattern and a policy
through individual
direction, which is necessary if we are
incidents, stories
to decide what action to take and how
or happenings,
to react to this policy.
and we begin at
least by perceiving
Over the past years, the institution that
it, and reacting to it, as such. But
is AUC, has been taking measures to
two important and often undermined
commodify the education it provides.
traditions in political science, are
Commodification Commodif cation is a process whereby
(1) to historicise any given incident,
things that are not conventionally
therefore seeing it in light of a pattern
viewed as commodities to be
of previous incidents, connected or
exchanged, become so, by putting a
not as they may be, and (2) to consider
price tag on it, by making it commercial
such incident as part of a greater
(something to be bought and sold on
totality, i.e. part of a plan, a project,
the market), and therefore making it
a direction, or a policy. What I wish
an alienating object. When education
to argue here, is that in viewing AUC
commodif ed, we start to give it is commodified
campus’ current hygiene, we must
competitive prices, and if you can
not focus on that incident itself, but it
a�ord af ord one variant of education then
must be viewed as a manifestation of a
you’re welcome to pay for it, if not,
systematic policy pursued by the AUC
then as a consumer/customer, you are
administration - by the power invested
expected to look elsewhere. Similarly,
in them by the Board of Trustees - to
the relationship between you as a
change AUC’s educational identity and
student and faculty, staf sta�, or workers,
the way it has been governed. This
becomes cold and business like: you
f rstly, what education change reveals, firstly
are only interested in what this faculty
now means for this institution (how
of er in exchange for the money has to o�er
they wish to provide it), and secondly,
you pay them in the form of salary, and
where this is all leading. Such an
you’re only interested in the workers to
immersive reading of something
the extent that they clean the campus
seemingly individualistic, such as our
you use, again in exchange for their
accusation of the incompetence of the
wages paid by your tuition.
newly hired cleaning services, helps us escape the illusion that this is just
rst of these policies became clear The ffirst 40
Op/Eds
T
T
he observable
with the relocation to the New Cairo
convincing you, the student, that
campus. Now, the administration can
you are a consumer, not a part of a
sell you a package: you are not just
community. You are encouraged to use
buying an education, you’re buying
f nance terms like entrepreneurial and finance
a lavish, commercial and isolated
“stakeholders” to describe yourself,
(therefore presumably safe) campus,
which only serves to strengthen
so that you don’t have to mingle with
the main illusion that this place is a
all those people that you don’t like
company worth shares/stakes, which,
to interact with, who perhaps speak
realise it or not, legitimises this logic
di�erently dif erently, live their lives di�erently dif erently,
of commodifying education. As a
or basically belong to a dif erent class than
consumer you also must submit to the market laws of supply and
yours (or at least
demand, so if you wish to
so you are made to believe). You are buying along with your education numerous gardens to spend your free
maintain your access
Have you bought your education yet?
time in instead of causing all kinds of
to this education, you must pay the market price, or otherwise look for alternatives, because with free markets, competition, and the laws of supply and demand, the consumer
is always advantaged right?
trouble to the administration
This diversity only makes you as a
(political activity, protests, meeting
consumer richer because of the more
with them to discuss grievances),
options you have to choose from, no?
diverse food outlets, venue for parties,
Or at least that’s what they teach us in
concerts and events, a sports complex,
the school of business.
and much more. Now the institution has all the reason and the right to
The third ongoing strike (in the form of
charge you heavily for the “education”
a policy) is to maintain or even increase
it provides.
funding for lucrative schools (Business, and to some extent Engineering) while
The second strike involved 41
downsizing the Humanities, Social
Sciences, and Arts, because hey, that’s
faculty and their status means that
not what the world market demands!
they can be deprived of the main
If one of the reasons AUC moved to
benefits benef ts, rights and bonuses their
New Cairo is because this is where
faculty handbook dictates, and it also
f nance the industry, commerce and finance
means the administration will have
is now concentrated, and AUC wants
exibility to hire new faculty more fflexibility
to be “market-driven” and respond in
on more disadvantageous terms,
feedback cycles to the needs of the
benef ts with less and less rights and benefits
market, then it is only rational to keep
because there is no code or handbook
funding the attractive schools for which
to restrict them from doing so. Faculty
there is demand. Ain’t nobody got
e�ectively ef ectively become mere employees,
time for those others schools, those
which will only serve to alienate them
other schools that precisely advocate
more, so dontcha come complaining
commodif cation of against the commodification
about faculty just giving their lecture
education, and the general global wave
and leaving immediately, or showing
of economic colonisation: that is, the
no interest in your education, because
market laws of commodities, supply,
commodif ed under the new laws of commodified
and demand invade all other aspects of
education, they should not give a shit
life where they do not belong: family,
about you, all they should care about
relationships, communities, education,
is to do the bare minimum to earn that
even your individual and collectively
salary, and still have energy to go teach
held values and principles.
in other universities or give courses just to make sure they have enough
The fourth strike is more subtle,
money to put food on the table.
this time aimed at the faculty, and
f nd themselves Otherwise, they may find
attempting to reconstruct their
doing part time jobs washing dishes,
relationship within this institution
selling paintings, or even doing sex
along the lines of “the faculty being
work, as a new investigation by the
the employees of the Board of Trustees,
Guardian reveals is the case for many
and therefore cannot make their own
adjunct faculty in the US. I doubt
laws [faculty handbook]”. Those were
universities in Egypt pay better salaries
the president’s words in the opening
than universities in the US, don’t you?
faculty senate session last Spring, I kid you not. The man says to the faculty’s
nal strike, and with which we The ffinal
face that they are mere employees.
rst observation draw close to that ffirst
Of course this reconstruction of the
f lthiness of we made about the filthiness 42
campus, was the most brutal and most
live, that they won’t be able to pay for
audaciously in your face, directed
a decent ride to be on campus for their
obviously towards the workers. What
shifts on time. The university had to
the administration did was to use a
subsidise their transportation to their place of work. Now all of this has been
“What the administration did was to use a very common corporate approach called outsourcing: instead of hiring their own cleaning personnel, the university hires an external cleaning company that provides the cleaning crew.”
taken of their shoulders. But wait, will the new cleaning company take care of all of these rights? No. The company selects workers from poorer and more precarious places in Greater Cairo, pays them less than the average worker was paid by the university, demands greater working hours, provides benef ts, insurance or other almost no benefits rights, and essentially makes working at AUC a living hell for its workers. So why then are you surprised that most of the new workers are cold and intimidated by us? Why are you surprised that they don’t clean as rigorously and tirelessly as the previous
very common corporate approach
workers did? Because (1)
called outsourcing: instead of hiring
they’re not paid the worth
their own cleaning personnel, the
of cleaning 24/7, (2) they
university hires an external cleaning
most likely have never
company that provides the cleaning
been to a place as lavish
prof table for the crew. Why is this profitable
and massive as AUC and
administration? Because now the
among many things may
administration only has to worry
be experiencing a material
about paying the company: they no
and cultural shock, and (3)
longer have to provide the salary to
there are no communal
benef ts and the workers + insurance + benefits
relations between them
promotions + free shuttle rides to and
and students to create
from downtown since the university is
a basis for any warm
so far away from where most workers
relationships. They have
43
freely about it? More importantly what
seeing them day in day out, and
does this reveal about how far we
perhaps there is good in this wake
have gone in terms of isolation and
up call to remind us to check our
privilege, that something as normal
privileges and clean after ourselves,
and ordinary to us as our campus, is
because if the previous workers were
actually unprecedented and daunting
too diligent and kind to us because
for others? What does this say about
they considered us family, the new
who we are, our morality, how we
crew probably has no reason to pamper
conduct our lives and who we are
us. They are completely alienated and
forced to become? And think how this
isolated in their jobs, that you can’t
mess which is purely the admin’s own
expect any more from them. And to
creation can be miraculously solved
make things worse, instead of going
by (surprise surprise) the new set of
after the administration, we treat them
surveillance cameras! If you don’t want
like foreigners, we treat them like an
to be robbed, we’ve got you (and all
“other” and we further alienate them.
your potential activities) monitored
What do we mean to them? How do
o�ss, can’t escape them, :D. Trade of
they feel when they see us and this
am I right? All in the name of safety
massive campus and how we walk
and security, as usual. The beauty of
Op/Eds
not spent 20 years with students,
outsourcing, then, is that it takes the
most to systematic violence because
guilt of exploiting workers of your
they are the weakest link: they cannot
shoulders because hey, I’m not the
protect themselves, they can easily
one running that company I’m only
be scapegoated as one of the reasons
trading with them for a service. But
the tuition fees are so expensive
I’d like you to note that the company
(absurd, I know) so the admin does
that AUC contracted, “Leeds” is the
not expect many students to stand
same company that hires the cleaning
with them (basically playing us against
services in Point 90 across the street,
each other), they are terrorised and
and I have not seen more immiserated,
penalised for engaging in any activity
exploited and ill treated workers than
with their lawful representative, their
Point 90’s. I can only imagine how
labour unions, and even those same
the company, and let’s be honest how
of er because unions have little to o�er
we also, treat the cleaning workers
of the restrictions placed on them
on campus in just the same cold and
and on labour in general by the
exploitative way.
Egyptian state and the new labour law. Nothing is special about AUC,
The fact of today is therefore not a
nothing is exceptional, it is no beacon
mere coincidence, and we cannot
of liberal light and freedom. It is bound
af ord to see it that way. What you
to the same repressive rules and
observe today is the result of years in
environment, it even maintains and
the making, only the Board of Trustees
contributes to it. The administration is
and the administration have become
more careful with the faculty because
much more vocal, brutal, shameless,
it has a reputation to maintain, issues
and Godless in their pursuit of austerity
of quality education and accreditation
policy, because austerity is what all
to pursue if it is to enhance its ranking
states are advised to do during an
(which by the way is not because they
economic bust, no? We can clearly see
care about you but because they want
then, that this policy has been directed
to be able to raise more donations and
towards the various constituencies of
funds from business people and to
the so called AUC “community”. The
attract more “consumer” students). It
only reason they were more brutal
is also more careful with us students
with the workers than ourselves or
and our parents because we generate
the faculty, is because of our relative
60% of their annual income. That is
empowerment and importance to
why they cancel certain scholarships
them. The workers are subjected the
because scholarship students give
45
“You exist so long as you perform your function: a student that consumes, a faculty that teaches as instructed, and a sta� staf that is employed to run the nitty gritty bureaucracy. Know your place.” benefitt, but on them no financial f nancial benef the contrary only take up the place of someone else who can pay for it. That is why, while they can use brute force and call the police to arrest af ord to be the workers, they can’t a�ord brutal with us, and instead feed us the illusion that we are consumers. We need not look further than the sentence that Francis Ricciardone (the AUC president if you don’t know his name yet), has been circulating around for quite some time and which serves to outline his new administration’s vision for AUC, an AUC that is “student centred, faculty led, and staf sta� enabled”. The language clearly shows that your critical and engaged input as a student is not welcome, you are the center of this institution in as much as you are the customer buying the product but please don’t bother us
notice how faculty led is a blatant lie, because employees (as he calls the faculty) don’t lead, they are led, in fact no, scratch that, they are managed. f nally staf And of course finally sta� enabled, I wonder if blue collar workers are staf , or if included under the label of sta� they are not worthy enough of their attention. It is clear that this vision is about emphasising divisions along functions and roles. There is little room for communal solidarity, for collective identity. You exist so long as you perform your function: a student that consumes, a faculty that teaches as staf that is employed instructed, and a sta� to run the nitty gritty bureaucracy. Know your place. Don’t wander outside your designated position. nally to address this It remains for us ffinally clear contradiction between depicting ef cient and productive AUC as an e�cient corporate model, and the communal feels the administration throws at us whenever there is crisis or discontent. If we complain about the tuition fees the response is “think about us”, “we are all in this together”, “this crisis falls equally on us all (very true, much wow), we have to share the burden”. But where was this discourse and these words when students and their parents were forced to bear the brunt of the EGP devaluation,
with your critiques and ideas. Also 46
when faculty are being denied basic
we discipline them brutally when they
working rights, and the cleaning
don’t live up to the expectations of
sta units f rst of the staf workers are the first sta�
demand. Whether we choose to go
to be shamelessly and disgustingly
down this path or not, and I would not,
thrown under the bus? Indeed, why
but only to show them the absurdity of
should we share the burden? Why
their ways, we must be aware that we
should I as a consumer par excellence
are operating within a system, that we
have to worry about their inability to
ict for are not alone, and this is a conf conflict
account for potential market losses and
power, because power determines how
downturns, their inability to put their
this place is to be run, and how each
ef�ective ective actuarial science to use i.e. e
group is to act within it.
risk management? Why should I as a f nancial shit? consumer handle their financial I shouldn’t. So if this is how the BoT and the administration in their wisdom think this place should be run, then as consumers, we should be ruthless, we should demand our money’s worth, deny them our money when they fail to provide a decent education and clean, state of the art facilities, give them the hardest of times when they fail to take severe measures against the infection control issue in food and salads, and be as brutal and demanding consumers as we can, and as the market tells us. In this new realm of market logic and self interest, there is no place for authentic talk of solidarity, community and collective spirit, and they certainly can’t get away with using this rhetoric against us, and at the same time deny us its use against them. If we are being made into customers, then we be the most honest to God brutal, critical, scathing, demanding customers, and 47
To reject the political is to reject your existence.