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ELITE Vol.1, Issue 42, April 2022
Vol.1, Issue 42, April 2022

She succeeded brilliantly, and she ended up coming and going, The middle class in Egypt, since the seventies with the
frequenting conferences and events. All of this culminated in one beginning of openness policies, has been the subject of
of the programs that she presented being awarded by the Arab consideration and concern from various researchers in the
Broadcasting Union. That program, which talked about and social sciences. Now after several decades of privatization
documented the basin area in Al-Sayeda Zainab in 1977 and followed by economic reform programs and flotation – how
1978 before it was surrounded and covered with slums, conveyed do you assess the situation of the middle class in Egypt in
the horrifying picture of how the people of demolished lands live terms of its challenges and opportunities?
in gutters, shelters that do not a shelter, with humans and animals
fighting alike... Dr. Amani answered that she has individually issued a book in
Resuming, Dr. Amani said that she had spent more than twenty 2019 entitled "The Middle Class and Social Mobility." Perhaps no
days trying to empty that image in her mind into another stylized one else from FEPS or other faculties has dealt with this field
image to be broadcasted on the program, given how horrifying recently, as it witnessed a great apathy and reluctance among
the first one was. Using her own words, and our guest is one of students and professors in handling it, which resulted in a large
the tongues of the truth, boredom from media work had crept its gap in the literature. Moreover, she presented to us some parts
way to her, especially after the events of 1981 and the tightening from her book, in which she analyzed the middle class into a
restrictions on the written and audible word. The matter even group of different segments and categories according to the nature
developed to the point of arresting many prominent media of their work and income, affiliation, and aspiration for
professionals. Hamdi Kandil had commented then saying: advancement. From this, we conclude that the middle class is not
"Nothing will remain but the written word." homogeneous, but is divided into strands or segments: an upper
Afterward, Dr. Amani moved to talk about academic work. She middle segment, a middle-middle segment, and a lower-middle
recalls that she saw while browsing a newspaper, an segment.
advertisement for the position of a teaching assistant or assistant Dr. Amani sees that this class is increasing day by day; for
professor at the Center for Social and Criminal Research, so she instance, the number of members of professional unions increases
applied for it. She was accepted and worked in the Public day after day. Therefore, from the perspective of quantity, it is not
Opinion Department, and it was not long before she left her job expected or considered that the middle class is eroding or
to take the aforementioned position of Secretary-General of the disappearing. From the qualitative perspective, we can put
Arab Network for Organizations. forward more ideas in this regard. For example, there is what is
called “the underground tunnel of corruption," for corruption in
-Dr. Amani also conveyed to us something that touched both her all its colors is able to elevate the individual from his lower or
heart and ours! She told us that it is worth mentioning that what middle class to the upper privileged class.
she has accomplished on this journey has been mixed with Yet, in any case, the middle class suffers from disparities in
components, some of which are hidden. One is to be patient and income and education due to the different educational streams of
another to be thankful; as although God did not endow her with this class. It is possible for us to mention that there is movement
children, He, in His infinite wisdom, bestowed upon her a from time to time in the middle-class segments; for one segment
husband, a generous and kind companion, from whom she gained might almost descend into a lower one, and a lower one might
more strength and in whom she leaned. May God have mercy on descend steadfastly to another, even less privileged one, to
the benevolent and the virtuous doctor and place him in the withstand the bitter economic conditions that the country is going
vastness of his gardens. through. Other than that, we can only say that the middle class
stands as the backbone of the country, and reflects its social,
economic, and cultural conditions.

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