Socio-economic transformation in rural areas: From agriculture to limestone in a coptic village in middle Egypt

Abstract

Rural Egypt is undergoing a process of socio-economic transformation which has made a great number of rural agricultural workers redundant. These seek work in non-agricultural occupations in villages and fast-growing cities. The limestone industry is a major source of non-agricultural income in the villages of the east Nile in Middle Egypt. Some of the purely Coptic villages in this region have completely converted their economy to the limestone industry. This economic transformation is embedded in a socio-political context of increasing conflict between Copts and Muslims. With a research approach based on qualitative methods, this transformation process was studied using the example of the village of Nazled Ibeid near El Minya. While the transformation, despite numerous problems, seems to be an economic success, it has also led to an increase in ethno-religious tensions and the possibility of social conflict.