Papers by Sebastian Elsässer
This paper presents some preliminary findings of my research about the history of educational tho... more This paper presents some preliminary findings of my research about the history of educational thought and practice within the Muslim Brotherhood. It discusses some aspects of Hasan al-Banna's Letter of Instructions, which is the foundational text of Muslim Brotherhood pedagogical thought, and compares their interpretation in later Ikhwani commentaries. The paper demonstrates that the tension between an inward-looking, exclusivist tendency and an outward-looking, open-minded tendency is a fundamental paradox in Ikhwani education that also affects the political performance of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Welt Des Islams, Jan 1, 2007
... Abstract Fathi Yakan is the pre-eminent figure of the Sunni Islamist movement in Lebanon. His... more ... Abstract Fathi Yakan is the pre-eminent figure of the Sunni Islamist movement in Lebanon. His theory of Islamic activism provides an example of how Islamists try to reconcile radical ideological thought with a pragmatic approach to social and political activism. ...
Nelly van Doorn-Harder (Hg.), Copts in Context, Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2017
Copts experienced the popular uprising against the Mubarak regime and the following turbulent per... more Copts experienced the popular uprising against the Mubarak regime and the following turbulent period in many different ways, much like their Muslim compatriots. The emotions of the Coptic community ranged from elation and hope to puzzlement, consternation and anxiety. Some were actively engaged, while others looked away and focused on their daily lives. The most significant, innovative effect of the ‘January Revolution’ on the Coptic community was the rise of a revolutionary current specific to the Copts; a current whose focus was not on merely participating in the revolution, but on appropriating it for the cause of Coptic emancipation. For a brief period, it not only succeeded in breaking the long-standing pattern of political restraint among the Copts, but also in its strategy of direct public and popular action that articulated community-related concerns and grievances, such as legal and administrative discrimination and the lack of public recognition of Coptic identity and culture.
Holger Albrecht and Thomas Demmelhuber (eds), Revolution und Regimewandel in Ägypten, Baden-Baden: Nomos, p. 257-280, 2013
Die Mobilisierung der koptischen Massen ging weder vom Klerus aus, noch von den etablierten Vertr... more Die Mobilisierung der koptischen Massen ging weder vom Klerus aus, noch von den etablierten Vertretern des koptischen Menschenrechtsaktivismus in Ägypten und in der Diaspora, sondern von unbekannten jungen Aktivisten. Die koptische Jugendbewegung, deren wichtigster organisierter Akteur im Jahr 2011 die ‚Bewegung der Maspero-Jugend‘ (ḥarakat shabāb masbīrū) war, vertrat bei aller Verbundenheit mit der koptisch-orthodoxen Kirche ein völlig neues Politikmodell. Ihre Wurzeln liegen – wie ein Blick auf die Entwicklungen des letzten Jahrzehnts zeigt – an der Schnittfläche von politischem Engagement im oppositionellen Spektrum und kirchlich gebundener Gemeindearbeit
One of the adverse consequences of the political and social upheaval in the Arab World since 2011... more One of the adverse consequences of the political and social upheaval in the Arab World since 2011 has been the exacerbation of sectarian tensions. This chapter argues that the contemporary violence between Muslims and Christians (Copts) in Egypt and rising sectarianism must be read on the background of the formation and development of the Egyptian nation-state in the twentieth century. State formation processes have been infuenced by religious difference and impacted back on it on different levels: the constitutional status of the religions, personal status law, policies towards the religious establishment, state media and education, as well as general employment, recruitment and promotion practices. The chapter demonstrates how and why Egyptian nation-building efforts have failed to develop a successful formula of Muslim-Christian integration so far.
Keywords: Sectarianism, Christians/Copts/Christianity, national unity, education, personal status law/family law, conversion, political representation
Middle Eastern Studies, Jan 1, 2010
... DOI: 10.1080/00263200903432308 Sebastian Elsässer ... on the model of the transformation of t... more ... DOI: 10.1080/00263200903432308 Sebastian Elsässer ... on the model of the transformation of the Coptic Orthodox monasteries into thriving agricultural enterprises, pioneered by the great reform monk Matta al-Miskin (19192006) at the monastery of Abu Maqar, Wadi Natrun, in ...
Monographies by Sebastian Elsässer
Egypt's Christians, the Copts, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. While they... more Egypt's Christians, the Copts, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. While they have always been considered an integral component of the Egyptian nation, their precise status within Egyptian politics and society has been subject to ongoing debates from the twentieth century to present day. Part of the legacy of the Mubarak era in Egypt is the unsettled state of Muslim-Christian relations and the increasing volatility of sectarian tensions, which have continued in the post-Mubarak period.
The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era delves into the discourses that dominated public debates and the political agenda-setting during the Mubarak era, explaining why politicians and the public in Egypt have had such enormous difficulties in recognizing the real roots of sectarian strife. This "Coptic question" is a complex set of issues, ranging from the petty struggles of daily Egyptian life in a bi-religious society to intricate legal and constitutional questions (family law, conversion, and church-building), to the issue of the political participation of the Coptic minority. Through these subjects, the book explores a larger debate around Egyptian national identity.
Paying special attention to the neglected diversity of voices within the Coptic community, this monograph peels back the historical layers to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historic, political, and social dynamics of Egypt’s Coptic Christians during Hosni Mubarak’s rule.
Lectures and Talks by Sebastian Elsässer
Short Articles by Sebastian Elsässer
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Papers by Sebastian Elsässer
Keywords: Sectarianism, Christians/Copts/Christianity, national unity, education, personal status law/family law, conversion, political representation
Monographies by Sebastian Elsässer
The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era delves into the discourses that dominated public debates and the political agenda-setting during the Mubarak era, explaining why politicians and the public in Egypt have had such enormous difficulties in recognizing the real roots of sectarian strife. This "Coptic question" is a complex set of issues, ranging from the petty struggles of daily Egyptian life in a bi-religious society to intricate legal and constitutional questions (family law, conversion, and church-building), to the issue of the political participation of the Coptic minority. Through these subjects, the book explores a larger debate around Egyptian national identity.
Paying special attention to the neglected diversity of voices within the Coptic community, this monograph peels back the historical layers to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historic, political, and social dynamics of Egypt’s Coptic Christians during Hosni Mubarak’s rule.
Lectures and Talks by Sebastian Elsässer
Short Articles by Sebastian Elsässer
Keywords: Sectarianism, Christians/Copts/Christianity, national unity, education, personal status law/family law, conversion, political representation
The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era delves into the discourses that dominated public debates and the political agenda-setting during the Mubarak era, explaining why politicians and the public in Egypt have had such enormous difficulties in recognizing the real roots of sectarian strife. This "Coptic question" is a complex set of issues, ranging from the petty struggles of daily Egyptian life in a bi-religious society to intricate legal and constitutional questions (family law, conversion, and church-building), to the issue of the political participation of the Coptic minority. Through these subjects, the book explores a larger debate around Egyptian national identity.
Paying special attention to the neglected diversity of voices within the Coptic community, this monograph peels back the historical layers to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historic, political, and social dynamics of Egypt’s Coptic Christians during Hosni Mubarak’s rule.