SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This chapter examines an aspect often overlooked in comparative analyses of the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings: features of the shared geopolitical context in which both uprisings took place, and the dynamic relationship between this and the types of revolutionary subjectivities and claims expressed by activists in each country. In doing so, it probes links drawn by Tunisian and Egyptian activists between the domestic and international structures that are seen to (re-) produce repressive forms of state power. In highlighting the international context in which both uprisings have unfolded, this chapter does not seek to diminish the agency of domestic actors. On the contrary, it highlights the key role played by Tunisian and Egyptian activists, movements, syndicates, political parties, and others, in challenging the political, social and economic pathologies of neoliberal authoritarianism. The chapter concludes by examining ongoing forms of popular mobilisation in both Tunisia and Egypt. Despite formidable obstacles, the conclusion demonstrates how activists in both countries continue to identify and exploit the interstices, inconsistencies, and contradictions within hegemonic neoliberal and national security state policies and practices, challenging the international configurations of power which (re)produce and sustain them.