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Fostering Civil Society Online: The Muslim Brotherhood, Counterpublics, and the Disappeared
Abstract
In Egypt, public discourse under the regime of Hosni Mubarak is still dominated by government-owned or controlled media, like the newspaper giant Al-Ahram and the TV station Nile Television. Independent newspapers like Al-Masry Al-Youm have changed this equation, but the circulation figures still favor the government-owned and aligned media outlets. As one might expect in such an authoritarian regime, many groups and individuals have difficulty accessing the public sphere. This is particularly true as Mubarak's particular brand of authoritarianism has taken on an increasingly narrow bent. Since the growth of the Internet in the mid-90s, however, scholars have looked for signs that the digital world might provide a haven for the growth of alternative public spheres for such groups, conceptualized as "electronic public spheres." This paper will explain the impact of social media on authoritarianism in Egypt through a case study of the Muslim Brotherhood. The case study will seek to answer two questions: 1) Are social media creating electronic public spheres or counterpublics for these groupse; and 2) What is the actual political or social impact of these efforts in the context of authoritarianism? This paper argues that the Muslim Brotherhood has created a parallel media infrastructure in Egypt, and takes particular note of individual efforts to memorialize and agitate for imprisoned members of the group. Efforts like these succeed or fail through critical "nodes" of elite blogger-activists and their connections to the mainstream Egyptian media. In so doing they may be part of a larger network of activists, journalists, and international actors who seek to contest certain facets of contemporary Egyptian authoritarianism.
Discipline
Political Science
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
Media