Catherine E. Herrold: Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and Beyond

Steven Heydemann

doi:10.1515/npf-2021-0029

Abstract

Catherine E. Herrold: <i>Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and Beyond</i>

Highlights

As Catherine Herrold demonstrates in her incisive and compelling account, Egypts trajectory requires us to reexamine many of the core assumptions that have shaped the practice of democracy promotion, especially with respect to two sets of critical actors: civil society and the philanthropic sector
Her findings challenge both civil society cheerleaders, the Tocquevillians who view civic sectors as inherently democratic, as well as civil society skeptics who dismiss its potential to advance democratic change in authoritarian settings. Her fieldwork leads her to an appreciation for how non-advocacy, local development NGOs that do not define their work in terms of democracy building, can strengthen attributes of civic-ness within underserved communities
Her work poses questions about the limits of these alternative strategies. She points us towards new research agendas that will need further attention before we can draw conclusions about the efficacy of indirect and incremental pathways to democratic change

Summary

Introduction

From 2011 to 2013, Egyptians experienced a mass uprising that ended the thirty-year reign of President Hosni Mubarak; navigated a transition that led to the country’s first democratic presidential elections and the victory of an Islamist candidate, Muhammad Morsi; saw Morsi’s presidency overthrown General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi; and watched as Sisi assumed power, captured the presidency, and ushered in a full-blown restoration of brutal authoritarian rule. Her fieldwork leads her to an appreciation for how non-advocacy, local development NGOs that do not define their work in terms of democracy building, can strengthen attributes of civic-ness within underserved communities.

Results

Conclusion