Both and Neither: The Paradoxical Nature of a Democratic Utopia in Egyptian Politics

Abstract

By analyzing the speeches and philosophies of Egyptian politicians as well as the protesters during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, I examine the contradictions and intricacies of creating a Utopian, democratic state. I focus specifically on Sadat’s Address before the People’s Assembly on March 14, 1976 in which he frames fundamentalists in Egypt as threats to the democratic Utopia. I contrast Sadat’s vision of utopia with that of the participants of the 2011 revolution, who demanded and fought for a democratic state. Both visions fail to address the necessity of pluralism with a democratic Utopia , thus allowing for multiple visions of utopia, both secular and religious, to exist within an all encompassing utopian vision.