Page 12 - Issue12-English

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|P A G E 11 I Is ss su ue e 1 12 2- October 2019

A Totally Different Politics: Families

and Politics in The Egyptian Village

*Laila Galal
Translated by:
Jasmine Nabil Political Communication Officer at ‘Support Egypt’ Coalition. FEPS graduate
–Class2018 .

“Politics”, upon hearing this term the reader can instantly formulates some You can also notice traces of the familial conflicts and the
mental images and creates certain conceptions. Such conceptions may demographic polarization of the locals, as such; each part of the village
include: the way a state manages its internal affairs and its relationship with as well as a number of its streets is controlled by a certain family to the
its citizen, the electoral and voting processes alongside the active political extent that it becomes known by the family’s name. Each time you
parties, and the regulating laws and constitutions. The reader may also be encounter one of the old villagers you would find them taking you to a
reminded of some important principles such as: freedom, justice, equality, trip down the memory lane reciting the events and the perils of the
security, and stability and order. One’s mind may even take a step deeper electoral war, a trip to a time of fear and horror, of sadness due to the loss
towards what is beyond the internal arena to include interrelations among of family members because of the cycle of vengeance, and of ruptured
states, what developments such relations may induce as: alliance, relations with loved ones and friends from the opposing families.
convergence, tension, as well as escalation and rupture of relations, these
images, among others, are the most likely to be formulated in the reader’ s I still remember tales told about this; an instance about a woman who
mind when they read the word “politics,” nonetheless, all these represent and had to cut ties with her uncles because they belonged to the family
express formal relations and interactions between official parties governed by opposing her father’s family, another that lost a father and a sister in the
certain rules and regulations. war of vengeance, and another who lost a limb and became disabled. I
can still picture the events of this era in the faces of the people as if I
Here, it is worth mentioning that the definition of politics as I learnt from have lived through them all.
my first Political Science class is “who gets what, when and how.” Thus, it is
a far-reaching science that includes both formal and informal parties. It deals What is bewildering about those people that, despite suffering from a
with the issue of scarcity of resources and aims to find the different ways of war they are not a party of, they have a true sense of loyalty and pride
allocating them. Thereby, I admit the existence of parallel politics, unofficial towards their families, that the more they suffer, the more this loyalty
per se, does not require an official structure but exists wherever there are strengthens. Especially because, the electoral candidate is looked up to as
interests among parties or resources that need to be allocated. Accordingly, the dean of the family, its head, symbol and representative; He becomes
no group of people can exist without politics determining who gets what is their arbiter in disagreements, the one who holds the meetings and
scarce and how they get it. periodic gatherings, seeks to include and share them in all events, and
pursuits their interests, in return, he guarantees their support.
A salient example for this can be the parliamentary elections in rural
villages. It is a complex process, not as simple as the months of the year or That is why the success of the candidate in such constituencies is
merely the number of votes determined by the electoral campaigns and the highly dependent on his ability to gain the trust of his family members as
extent of their effect on the electoral bulk. It is rather a whole world dinning well as the ability to form alliances with the heads of other families to
with unofficial conflicts and interactions which are run by families to guarantee the votes of these families as well. As such, the electoral
determine who gets the constituency seats. The one worthy of the seat may process turns into a battle for families and the winner is the one who
possibly be the strongest, while the winning candidate is the one most allies with the greatest number of families or the families with greater
supported by his family. In such constituencies, true vengeance is created and popular density, so that it becomes like the American elections where
conflicts –violent and even armed- turn to heritage that does not fade away candidates from both political parties struggle for the support of states
by time. This is similar to what has been referred to in Ibn Khaldun’s theory with the biggest electoral weight in the electoral college.
of Solidarity (Asabiyyah). Where, the individuals’ sense of belongingness to
their family creates within them a tendency to assimilate themselves into the Despite the simplicity of such villages, they are real political arenas to
group so that they serve the family, believe in its ideals, see things through be reckoned with. They witness politics with all the meaning the word
its perspective and seek to achieve its purposes, creating an extreme, absolute has to offer, with bargains, negotiations, exchange of interests, family
and unjustified sense of loyalty generating blind familial fanaticism. affiliations that parallels party affiliation or even exceeds its in its
Growing up listening to the stories told by my grandfather and family strength and organization, competitiveness and multiplicity of candidates,
members is what has driven me to write this article. Stories about the horrors large scaled campaigns, and a citizen; who despite being uncivilized, is
of the conflicts between my family and the family of the candidate an active political actor, one who fully understands his interests and
competing against my grandfather during the parliamentary elections, to chooses his candidate purposefully. All this occurs behind the curtains
which, I can still see traces during each of my visits to the village. Upon and not known except to those who have lived through it and have been
entering the village, you cannot help but notice the significant amount of old influenced by it. I was lucky to see and witness these interactions which
posters despite the passage of time which shouts that there was once a affected my perception on Political Science, made me sure that politics is
vicious electoral war. Trying to see what is left, you see a symbol, the closely tied to all that surrounds us, and made me realize that politics
candidate’s picture and his family name, then; you get an instant feeling as if does not have to solely exist in a city or an urban society.
the people purposely meant to leave these posters as a reminder of the past
that the present contradicts.

|P A G E 11 I Is ss su ue e 1 12 2- October 2019 ELITE