Dancing on the stairs : human rights, the state, and revolution in Egypt -

Abstract

This thesis examines the perceptions of Egyptian human rights practitioners about future trends in professional human rights advocacy in Egypt. The perceptions of those involved in Egypt’s human rights sphere have been shaped by both the 2011 revolution, which was closely tied to human rights principles and brought human rights defenders to the forefront for a short while, and the subsequent military-led counterrevolution, which threatens the very existence of the local human rights community. In particular, this study aims to understand and predict how human rights organizations will alter their organizational structures, mandates, advocacy strategies, and funding streams in response to new sociopolitical realities at work in Egypt. Such an examination was accomplished via personal interviews with dozens of Egyptian human rights activists, organizers, and researchers. Analysis of the original research suggests that while Egypt’s human rights sphere is still grappling with a decades-old debate about the societal roles of human rights organizations amidst authoritarianism, a number of young Egyptian rights groups are responding to the post-revolution dynamic by adopting novel advocacy tactics.