Atef Shahat Said
Biographic Data
| ID | 4391520 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Atef Shahat Said |
| GIVEN NAMES | Atef Shahat |
| FAMILY NAME | Said |
| SIGNATURE | SAID A S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6150-5147 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Response to Benjamin Abrams’s Review of Revolution Squared
Revolution Squared
Revolution as Lived ContingencyI landed in Cairo, Egypt, in the early morning of February 4, 2011.The trip to Cairo had taken almost forty-eight hours because of a curfew imposed by the military.My parents were surprised to see me: I had been in Cairo only three weeks earlier and had not told them I was returning so soon.I worried that my parents, who are not particularly political, would urge me to stay away from the protests in Tahrir Square.As…
The Rise and Fall of the Tahrir Repertoire
This article examines how and why the strategy of occupying Tahrir Square went from being the central mode of action and defining image of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 to an ineffective strategy read by many as symbolic of the revolution's ultimate failure during the transitional period of 2011-2012. This question speaks to a lacuna in the literature on repertoires, specifically a lack of attention to their temporality and the lessons to be le…
The Principled Fine Line in Egypt’s Sociology
In 2001, a colleague at the American University in Cairo (AUC) asked me if I would be interested in taking over her position as a research assistant to an exceptional sociologist. At the time, I wa
A sociology of counter‐revolution in Egypt
In this article I interrogate three misapprehensions around the concept of counter‐revolution: (1) defining the old regime, (2) defining counter‐revolution's temporal boundary, and (3) different meanings of the countering actions. Using Egypt as a case study, I develop and apply a disaggregated and temporally sensitive framework to analyze the counter‐revolution. I argue that counter‐revolution was instigated during the revolutionary crisis (25 J…
Doing Research during Times of Revolution and Counterrevolution
In chapter 7, Atef Said examines how his positionality as an Egyptian-born American researcher and activist shaped his research experiences and his thinking on ethical issues during Egypt’s revolution and its counterrevolution. Said explains how these interwoven layers of positionality played out in contradictory ways during the uprising, as it was a burden while giving him great accessibility at the same time and investigates how these issues ch…
Arab Revolution in the Twenty-First Century? Lessons from Egypt and Tunisia
Mobilizing Democracy
We ought to be here
This article explores the role of space in social movements, through an examination of the case of Tahrir Square in the Egyptian revolution of 2011. The author argues that the pre-existing, historically specific understanding of Tahrir Square as a politicized space of protest drew people there in January 2011 and shaped their participation in the revolution. Specifically, the author suggests that earlier mobilizations that took place in Tahrir Sq…
The Paradox of Transition to "Democracy" under Military Rule
This paper closely studies the 18 days of the revolution in Egypt as well as the post-revolutionary transition and examines the role of the army in this period. A central question the paper attempts to answer is how to explain the apparent paradox about how the Egyptian military lent pivotal support to the protestors during the revolution itself, but now, in its administrative role during the transitional period, seems so reluctant if not activel…
We ought to be here
This article explores the role of space in social movements, through an examination of the case of Tahrir Square in the Egyptian revolution of 2011. The author argues that the pre-existing, historically specific understanding of Tahrir Square as a politicized space of protest drew people there in January 2011 and shaped their participation in the revolution. Specifically, the author suggests that earlier mobilizations that took place in Tahrir Sq…
The Rise and Fall of the Tahrir Repertoire
This article examines how and why the strategy of occupying Tahrir Square went from being the central mode of action and defining image of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 to an ineffective strategy read by many as symbolic of the revolution's ultimate failure during the transitional period of 2011-2012. This question speaks to a lacuna in the literature on repertoires, specifically a lack of attention to their temporality and the lessons to be le…
Mobilizing Democracy
The Paradox of Transition to "Democracy" under Military Rule
This paper closely studies the 18 days of the revolution in Egypt as well as the post-revolutionary transition and examines the role of the army in this period. A central question the paper attempts to answer is how to explain the apparent paradox about how the Egyptian military lent pivotal support to the protestors during the revolution itself, but now, in its administrative role during the transitional period, seems so reluctant if not activel…
A sociology of counter‐revolution in Egypt
In this article I interrogate three misapprehensions around the concept of counter‐revolution: (1) defining the old regime, (2) defining counter‐revolution's temporal boundary, and (3) different meanings of the countering actions. Using Egypt as a case study, I develop and apply a disaggregated and temporally sensitive framework to analyze the counter‐revolution. I argue that counter‐revolution was instigated during the revolutionary crisis (25 J…
The Paradox of Transition to "Democracy" under Military Rule
This paper closely studies the 18 days of the revolution in Egypt as well as the post-revolutionary transition and examines the role of the army in this period. A central question the paper attempts to answer is how to explain the apparent paradox about how the Egyptian military lent pivotal support to the protestors during the revolution itself, but now, in its administrative role during the transitional period, seems so reluctant if not activel…
We ought to be here
This article explores the role of space in social movements, through an examination of the case of Tahrir Square in the Egyptian revolution of 2011. The author argues that the pre-existing, historically specific understanding of Tahrir Square as a politicized space of protest drew people there in January 2011 and shaped their participation in the revolution. Specifically, the author suggests that earlier mobilizations that took place in Tahrir Sq…
Mobilizing Democracy
Arab Revolution in the Twenty-First Century? Lessons from Egypt and Tunisia
Doing Research during Times of Revolution and Counterrevolution
In chapter 7, Atef Said examines how his positionality as an Egyptian-born American researcher and activist shaped his research experiences and his thinking on ethical issues during Egypt’s revolution and its counterrevolution. Said explains how these interwoven layers of positionality played out in contradictory ways during the uprising, as it was a burden while giving him great accessibility at the same time and investigates how these issues ch…
The Principled Fine Line in Egypt’s Sociology
In 2001, a colleague at the American University in Cairo (AUC) asked me if I would be interested in taking over her position as a research assistant to an exceptional sociologist. At the time, I wa
A sociology of counter‐revolution in Egypt
In this article I interrogate three misapprehensions around the concept of counter‐revolution: (1) defining the old regime, (2) defining counter‐revolution's temporal boundary, and (3) different meanings of the countering actions. Using Egypt as a case study, I develop and apply a disaggregated and temporally sensitive framework to analyze the counter‐revolution. I argue that counter‐revolution was instigated during the revolutionary crisis (25 J…
The Rise and Fall of the Tahrir Repertoire
This article examines how and why the strategy of occupying Tahrir Square went from being the central mode of action and defining image of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 to an ineffective strategy read by many as symbolic of the revolution's ultimate failure during the transitional period of 2011-2012. This question speaks to a lacuna in the literature on repertoires, specifically a lack of attention to their temporality and the lessons to be le…
Revolution Squared
Revolution as Lived ContingencyI landed in Cairo, Egypt, in the early morning of February 4, 2011.The trip to Cairo had taken almost forty-eight hours because of a curfew imposed by the military.My parents were surprised to see me: I had been in Cairo only three weeks earlier and had not told them I was returning so soon.I worried that my parents, who are not particularly political, would urge me to stay away from the protests in Tahrir Square.As…
Response to Benjamin Abrams’s Review of Revolution Squared
Sociology (9 works) · Political science (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · Middle East Politics and Society (6 works) · Democracy (4 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (4 works) · Philosophy (4 works) · Political economy (4 works) · Aesthetics (3 works)