The Discourse of the Egyptian January 25th Revolution

Abstract

This qualitative empirical study deals with the Egyptian revolutionarydiscourse published on Twitter by the revolutionaries from the so-calledFacebook generation during the January 25th revolution. Their Twitteraccounts have been analysed using methods based on grounded theory. Asa result, nine general categories that they work with have been identified(nationalism, pan-Arabism, historical mission, national unity, nationalpolarization, moral superiority, civil society, Mubarak as a scapegoat, anduncertainity). We also identified the relations among them and the maingeneral categories of the discourse: secular nationalism, dignity andempowerment. The framing of the revolutionary action in terms of secularnationalism and dignity (empowerment) has motivated the revolutionaries.These two narratives provided powerful meanings for their actions andrepertoires of contention, which would be highly improbable without such aframing. At the same time such narratives represent a culture of resistancerather than a coherent ideology. The revolutionaries’ culture of resistance isnot building on notions of political Islam, but on the former regime’sdiscourses of secular nationalism and citizenship (the civil state). Howeverthe revolutionaries used such concepts that were produced by the regimeagainst the regime itself.