Disconnected in Cairo

I finally bought a book I had been eying at the bookstore the other day.  The book, “Connected in Cairo: Growing up Cosmopolitan in the Modern Middle East”, tackles the complex issues of what it means to be “modern” and “cosmopolitan” in 21^st century Egypt.  The author, Mark Allen Peterson, explores and attempts to dissect the multifaceted metropolis of Cairo and the roots of how fervent religiosity, nationalism, and rampant consumerism have created a crisis of identity amongst Egypt’s youth, particularly its “cosmopolitan class”. 

Anyone visiting Cairo from more egalitarian locales will immediately notice the almost hyperactive class consciousness that permeates every aspect of society: there are so many subtle and not so subtle codes of dress, mannerisms, styles, and language that distinguish the self-described cosmopolitan Egyptians – wealthy, western-oriented consumers – from the “masses”.  It is this “cosmopolitan class”, Peterson argues, whose members are not merely passive consumers of globalized culture but active and entrepreneurial manipulators, shaping familiar brands into more localized or hybrid versions. 

Yet within the cosmopolitan class there are individuals who struggle to define themselves as both “modern” and authentically “Egyptian”, reflecting the different ideological masks that Egypt has tried on throughout the 20^th century.  Amongst the young, wealthy, and educated elite of Cairo who are the focus of much of the book’s case studies, there is an uneasiness and insecurity to their globalized “non-Egyptian” identities, and a desire to be more rooted to their local context through religion, nationalism, and even language.  These contradictions and juxtaposed identities are part of what makes Cairo both a fascinating and frustrating city.   

I found the case study on Cairo’s upscale Starbucks-inspired coffee shops – Cilantro, Beanos, etc. – to be the most fascinating, particularly for what they represent in terms of gender norms (masculinity and femininity), class consciousness, commodification, “liberal” attitudes, and elitism in Egypt.  Most visitors and long-term residents of Cairo can relate to the different coffeehouse lifestyles that the book highlights with delightful insight: the local, hyper-masculine public space of the ‘ahwa, versus the westernized coffee shops that offer iterations of an elite, quasi-European lifestyle with their expensive espresso-based coffee drinks.

Peterson’s book was inspired by his work as a professor of anthropology at the American University of Cairo (AUC), the most prestigious university in Egypt both lauded and scorned for representing, for many Egyptians, the very best and worst aspects of Westernization.  The book’s heavy and sometimes repetitive academic jargon is softened by fascinating and insightful anecdotes based on his personal experiences and conversations with young and elite students of AUC. 

A good book challenges ones perceptions.  And Peterson’s book does this quite well, offering a new perspective on the familiar subject of globalization that will be of value to those interested in the realities and challenges of modern Egypt, beyond the clichés of religious fundamentalism, and what they say about the wider world all around us.