The orientation of Egyptian peasants towards political authority between continuity and change

Abstract

An important component of the broader cultural make-up of any society is its people's system of values and attitudes towards political authority. This is why students of political cultures try to find out the nature of these values and attitudes together with the most important factors accounting for them. The purpose of this paper is to study the main variables determining the core and dimensions of the orientation of Egyptian peasants towards government authority. Meanwhile, the paper tries to clarify the extent to which the peasants' cultural attributes concerning government which existed before the 1952 Revolution survives after this revolution. The paper is based on two main sources of information. Firstly, descriptive and historical studies dealing with Egyptian society in general and its rural sector in particular. Secondly, the results of surveys conducted in Egyptian villages by sociologists and political scientists.