Christians in the Middle East have come under increasing pressure in recent years with the rise of radical Islam. In Egypt, the large Coptic Christian community has traditionally played an important political and historical role. This book examines Egyptian Christians' responses to sectarian pressures in both national and local contexts.

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Reviews

“Christians in Egypt is a fascinating ethnography crafted with skill and clarity for a general readership. Andrea Rugh’s admiration for Madame Ansaf shines through, along with her sensitivity to the daily challenges of Christian and Muslim women learning how to live in a rapidly changing Bulaq together.” (Angie Heo, The Middle East Journal, 2016)

"Christians in Egypt is unique and essential reading for anyone desiring a deep, multidisciplinary understanding of today's Egypt. Rugh illuminates vital aspects of modern Egyptian society with rare empathy and insight, drawing on a lifetime of intimate engagement with Egyptians. Yet she brings a foreigner's global perspective and objectivity, unsparingly analyzing the complex trends, implications, and choices facing Egyptians and those others who share a stake in Egypt's future stability and prosperity." - Francis J. Ricciardone, US Ambassador (ret.) to Egypt, 2005-2008

"This carefully constructed study is at once an anthropological account of a social service center catering to Christians, and a historical study of the Christian presence in Egypt from the perspective of some of its poorest and socially weakest members. Rugh eloquently outlines the strategies people follow to protect themselves and achieve their goals in a largely Muslim context. Anyone interested in social processin Cairo will profit from this intimate account." - Nicholas Hopkins, American University in Cairo, Egypt

"Andrea Rugh is a particularly gifted scholar and author with...living and research experience in Egypt and the Arab world. Christians in Egypt is a major and unique piece of original scholarship providing an in-depth case study of Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt, underscoring the many issues faced by Christians living as minorities in Muslim-majority Egypt, Syria, and Iraq." John L. Esposito, Georgetown University, USA

About the author

Andrea B. Rugh is Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, USA. She lived in the Middle East for more than 25 years, including six years in Egypt. She has published books on family in Egypt, childrearing in Syria, and political leadership in the UAE.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: Christians in Egypt
Book Subtitle: Strategies and Survival
Authors: Andrea B. Rugh
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56613-3
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-56868-7Published: 09 November 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-56613-3Published: 08 March 2016
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 242
Topics: Middle Eastern Culture, Social Aspects of Religion, Sociology of Religion, Religion and Society, Cultural Policy and Politics, Social Structure, Social Inequality

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Table of contents (18 chapters)

Front Matter

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