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.
About the presenterKristin Hillers
Kristin Hillers received her B.A. from Hood College in 2011, majoring in Political Science in Middle Eastern Studies. In 2013, she received her M.A. in Humanities, with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies.Her thesis was on Utopian theory and science fiction in post-colonial Egypt. She is also conversant in Modern Standard Arabic and is fascinated with the resurgence of Orientalism in the 21st century, hip-hop in the Arab world, and Middle Eastern literature.