The utopian and dystopian functions of Tahrir Square

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyze the shifts and tensions between the utopian and the dystopian functions of Tahrir square by focusing on two crucial episodes of the Egyptian revolution: the first spans from January 25 (the beginning of protests) to February 11, 2011 (the fall of Mubarak); and the second occurs a year after, on January 25, 2012, when Muslim Brothers' constituency and supporters occupied large parts of the square to celebrate the success of the Islamists in parliamentary elections. The utopian functions of the square were established during the first episode, and shattered during the second episode. In both cases, representations of the square were produced by the revolutionary and anti-revolutionary forces to bring to light or diminish the core ideals of the Egyptian revolution, criticizing what exists and deconstructing the illusion of fast and radical change. The paper looks at both the secularist and the Islamist utopian projects promulgated during the first episodes of the revolution from a critical standpoint which emphasizes the fact that both projects bore the seeds of their dystopian transfiguration.