Notes to be Studied for the Mid Term Exam- An Updated Revised Version PDF

Course Title: The Character of Egypt Instructor: Dr. Yasmine Zein Al-Abedine Lecture One: Introduction What is the link between mass communication, political science/ politics, and geopolitics? - Mass communi...

Course Title: The Character of Egypt Instructor: Dr. Yasmine Zein Al-Abedine Lecture One: Introduction What is the link between mass communication, political science/ politics, and geopolitics? - Mass communication means transmission of messages to many recipients at a time. It is the process of extensive circulation of information within regions and across the globe. In this modern era, mass communication is being used to disseminate information at an accelerated rate, often about politics and other charged topics. There are major connections between the media that is being consumed, via mass communication, and our culture, contributing to polarization and dividing people based on consequential (important or significant) issues. - Politics: Power is the main interest because politics is; authoritative allocation of rare values or resources for a society (David Easton Definition). It is Who gets What, When, and How (Harold Lasswell Definition). - Political Science: The science that studies the relationship between the governor and the people. - Geopolitics: Politics, especially international relations, as influenced by geographical factors. As media specialists or people media, why do we study the Character of Egypt? - Wilbur Schramm is an American scholar of mass communication. He lived between 1907 and 1987. He is considered the founder of the field of communications studies. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1929, and he started working as reporter and editor at the university where he graduated (Marietta College), which means that the founder of this field is a political scientist. - Any media specialist, in order to be efficient, effective and competent (having a suitable or sufficient skill knowledge and information) in doing his job, should be; dedicated and passionate, respectable and trustworthy, sociable and outgoing, and creative and dynamic. - The Character of Egypt book gives media specialists huge amount of knowledge that could help as a solid informative background for the professional life. This course is focused on the book of Dr. Gamal Hamdan (The Character of Egypt) on one hand, and the major political, economic, and social changes and challenges in recent years mainly in Egypt. 1  Who is Gamal Hamdan? - Gamal Hamdan is an Egyptian scholar and geographer who lived between 1928 and 1993. He was born in Al-Qalyubia, and he joined the department of Geography at Cairo University, Faculty of Arts. He graduated in 1948 when he was 20 years old. He obtained his masters and PhD degrees from University of Reading, UK. Among his books; The Character of Egypt, Studies of the Arab World, and the Contemporary Islamic World Geography, … etc. He mainly focused on Egypt’s natural, economic, political and cultural character and its position in the world. What about his famous books, especially the Character of Egypt (personality or identity??)? - This book is written in 1967 in 300 pages (four parts in Arabic), and it was revised and edited to be republished in almost 800 pages between 1981 and 1984. - Summary of the book: In the first part, the natural character of Egypt, the writer presents what is related to Egyptian geology and geography and the Egyptian deserts, which represent the largest percentage in the area of Egypt, whether western or eastern, of course, the writer devoted a special part to the Nile Valley. - In the second part, the Human Personality of Egypt, he mentions the features of the natural, material, civilized, human and urban homogeneity of the Egyptian personality, as well as the Egyptian civilization from the Pharaonic era until the July Revolution and the stages of development of Egyptian civilization throughout the ages. He also presents the political life in Egypt and its strategic aspects. - The third part, Egypt's integrative personality, includes a presentation of the economic aspects of the Egyptian personality where agriculture was its first pillar, then the development of industry and mineral wealth in Egypt. The integrative personality also includes the map of the Egyptian society and the Egyptian-Arab relations between Egyptian nationalism and Arab nationalism. - Part Four, Egypt's civilized personality, is a study of the Egyptian society, mainly Cairo that is considered as the structure and compass of the Egyptian society map. The title of Gamal Hamdan book has many translations, such as: - The Character of Egypt: A Study of the Uniqueness of the Place. - The Personality of Egypt: Reflections of the Genius Loci. Why did Gamal Hamdan choose the word “Character” or “Personality” and not “Identity”? - Identity is something that you give yourself, it is how you define yourself. It has to do with what you stand for, morals, values, etc. It is who you are physically and legally, but that is just a basic "you already know that" statement. Personality/ Character is the way in which you portray or "live in" your identity, which means that personality/ character is more general and is more suitable to the message Gamal Hamdan wants to deliver through his book. 2  Course Title: The Character of Egypt Instructor: Dr. Yasmine Zein Al-Abedine The Four Dimensions of Egypt: A General Framework Both in terms of position and location, Egypt occupies an intermediate position between latitude and longitude, between natural and production regions, between continents and oceans, even between races, dynasties, civilizations and cultures. This does not mean that Egypt is a half nation, but it is a middle multifaceted and multidimensional nation, which enriches the regional and historical character and highlights the genius of the place in it. This geographical orientation also affected, still affects and will always affect Egypt’s foreign relations. Egypt has, mainly, four dimensions; the Asian and the African, on the continental level, the Nilotic and the Mediterranean on the regional level. In fact, all these dimensions partly overlap, they also mix up with the Arab framework which is not considered as a dimension but an essential element in the Egyptian identity, because Egypt is defined as an Arab country that represents a link between the Asian and the African continents. Defining it as an Afro-Asian country will not be sufficient to reflect its identity. The Asiatic Part of Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula (the red area in the map), or simply Sinai is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. Its area is about 60,000 km2, about 6% of Egypt's total area (1.01 million km²), and 0.13% of Asia’s total area (44.58 million km2) with a population of about 400,000. Bedouin in Sinai occupies about 60% of the total population and the rest are found in small cities such as El Arish and Sharm El Sheikh. 3  The Importance of the Asian Dimension of Egypt. In terms of foreign affairs, and history, Egypt is more affected by Asia than Africa. How? 1- The Arab world consists of 22 countries (9 countries in Africa and 12 countries in Asia, in addition to Egypt that represents a transcontinental country and an effective bridge of connectivity between Asia and Africa). 2- The oldest civilizations in the world are represented in Mesopotamia (Western Asia), Egypt, Indus Valley (South Asia), and China (East Asia), which means that Asia is the cradle of civilizations. 3- Concerning the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of them emerged in Asia in Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula, and Sinai. - What is the difference between religion, culture and civilization? How do they link together? Culture is the totality of knowledge, beliefs, art and customs shared by a human group. Civilization is the organized development of one or more cultures within an urban center. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. It involves devotional and ritual observances, and contains a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs (monotheistic religion: the belief in one God). 4  Based on these definitions, it is clear that civilization is based on culture, and one of the culture’s fundamental ways of expressing it is religion, which means that religion comes first. Religion Culture Civilization The whole historical momentum and geographical gravity of Egypt flow to the northward, especially the northeastward. Why? - A glance at the map reveals that the Nile does not flow at the middle of the desert, it is inclined toward the eastward, which affected the historical relationship between Egypt and West Asia. Because of this exceptional location, Gamal Hamdan said that Egypt stands at the gateway of Africa and overlooks the window to Asia. According to the ancient Egyptians, when trying to compare between Africa and Asia, Africa is the road of Gods (road of the ancestors), and Asia is the road of invaders (Because of the large number of armies crossing it). Nowadays, there is no doubt that the Egyptian national politics is directed toward Asia due to the Palestinian issue, which means that the Asian dimension is an axial dimension in the Egyptian foreign affairs. It is basically a give-and-take relationship between two parties (Egypt and Asia), characterized by consistency and continuity without oscillation or interruption. 5  Course Title: The Character of Egypt Instructor: Dr. Yasmine Zein Al-Abedine The Four Dimensions of Egypt- The African Dimension Introduction - The Total area of Egypt is 1.01 million km2. - 940,000 km2 of this total area are in Africa. Description of Africa. Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. - Its area: 30.37 million km2. - Population: 1.216 billion. - Africa contains 54 countries. - The largest country is Algeria: 2.382 million km2. - The largest city is Cairo (the Capital of Egypt): 3085 km2 and the second largest city is Lagos (a city in Nigeria): 1.171 km2. What are the main facts about Africa? - Between 1500 and 2000 languages are spoken in Africa. - Africa is the source of the world’s longest river (the Nile): 6.693 km. - Africa is home to the world’s oldest university: Al-Qarawiyin University in Morocco founded in 859 AD. - Africa is the richest in terms of nature. - The world’s largest hottest desert is in Africa (Sahara Desert). Why is Africa important to the world? - Africa is a vital region with some of the fastest growing economies in the world. - Africa is a continent of thousands of languages and cultures, exceptional economic diversity, and over a billion vibrant (energetic, bright) and innovative people. What is the most important thing about Africa? 6 - The most important thing about Africa is its area. It is the second largest continent on Earth (as mentioned before). - Africa is a special continent because it has a very diverse culture. - It is rich in cultural heritage and diversity, a wealth of natural resources, offers breathtaking tourist attractions. Why is Africa still a poor continent? At first, poverty in Africa means lack of provision to satisfy the basic human needs of certain people in Africa. Africa is poor in terms of human development, and the main reason of its poverty refers to the large amounts of arable land south of the Sahara Desert where small individual land holdings are rare. In many nations, the land is subject to tribal ownership. Why is Africa important to Egypt? Historically, the Egyptian deserts in Africa were important because of the trade routes that crisscrossed them, especially from Nubia and its abundant gold and ivory resources. These trade routes were crucial for the growth and development of ancient Egyptian civilization. Nowadays, Egypt has a number of vital interests in the African continent, foremost among these is the issue of water security and the issue of peace and stability in Africa. Finally, the issue of social and economic development. 7  Course Title: The Character of Egypt Instructor: Dr. Yasmine Zein Al-Abedine The African Dimension- Gamal Hamdan Perspective Egypt derives its soil and water from Africa. Its land is manifestly part of it. Egypt represents the point of intersection that connects Africa and Asia which is the Isthmus of Suez. As for people, the prevailing theories connect them with the African Horn (The Somali Peninsula: Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia). Some Egyptians believe that they originally came from Punt (The Land of Ancestors) which is now called Somalia or Somiland, the East African country with which ancient Egypt had constant connection all through its history. 8  In fact, Egypt has the greatest impact on Africa in terms of culture, and this is before the advent of Europe. Much of the civilization of Africa was partly derived from Egypt. The cultural influence of Egypt on Africa differs and changes from a region to another. There are many medieval records (medieval records most often record activities of nobility and the landed class. They are typically written in Latin or Old French, but modern English translations are available for many record groups) of fairly close ties between Egypt and the Western Sudan and West Africa all along the Savanna- Sahel corridor (the Southern boundary of the Sahara desert, which was likened to a sea) which was mentioned by Ibn Khaldun (1332- 1406) and Ibn Battuta (1304- 1369) on one hand, and by many Europeans explorers. Along the axis of North Africa, Egypt’s foreign relations are different and overlap with Arab background. Egypt has been the gateway to the Arabisation of the Maghreb. 9  Question: For Egypt, is there a contradiction or an integration between the Arab unity and the African unity? - According to Gamal Hamdan, there is an integration between the Arab unity and the African unity. - There is no doubt that Egypt plays a vital political role in Africa nowadays and historically. According to some Western explorers, the African unity cuts the Arab unity and vice versa. - Egypt is a part of the African unity in terms of political, economic and civilizational solidarity that could help in facing the colonial pressures. On the other hand, Egypt is a part of the Arab World in terms of existence, entity, destiny, and political amalgamation. - In other words, the two unities are of a different order and level and it is a difference in terms of a kind (type) and not in terms of a degree, hence they do not clash or oppose one another, and Egypt without sacrificing any other Arab associations may legitimately look towards Africa and develop its natural dimension there, as indeed it always did, neither ignoring its position as the guardian of the northern gateway of the continent and the fulcrum of the Afro-Asian solidarity front, nor at the same time forgetting the fact that Africa is the vast hinterland (economically important) behind it and one with which its future in world politics and strategy is closely linked. 10