Abstract
Recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa have raised fundamental questions about political change, the development of collective action, as well as the making of a common struggle. The uprisings in Tahrir Square have further led to the examination and interrogation of the different ways by which collective action is thought, organized, and staged. It additionally questions the production as well as the formation of political protest in areas dominated by authoritarian rule. Egyptian football fans, in particular, have taken center stage in the clashes with security and police forces. Indeed, established social movements such as the 6th of April movement and Kefaya called upon these football supporters because of their experience in street fights against the police. Subsequently, they played a key role in some of the deadliest clashes, pushing security forces to retreat and securing decisive victories against the Mubarak regime.
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Notes
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© 2015 Fawaz A. Gerges
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Gibril, S. (2015). Contentious Politics and Bottom-Up Mobilization in Revolutionary Egypt: the Case of Egyptian Football Supporters in Cairo. In: Gerges, F.A. (eds) Contentious Politics in the Middle East. Middle East Today. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137530868_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137530868_13
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