The politics of ‘uncivil’ society in Egypt

This article investigates the concept of civil society. It argues that the recent celebration of the concept as the domain of freedom and justice and as a panacea for the ills of state‐led development models has underestimated its inherent weaknesses and limitations. The portrayal of the concept in both academic and policy circles is often based on ideological convictions and uncritical adulation rather than empirical evidence and rigorous analysis. Tracing the historical development of the concept, the article provides an alternative view of the conflictual, often reactionary nature of civil society organisations. The Egyptian case offers empirical demonstration of how the state is no longer the prime authoritarian force in repressing civil society organisation. Instead, civil society has become an arena for political conflict and its organisations have been seized by representatives of contending political programmes that often resort to violence and repression to suppress other groups within civil society.