Coalitions for Dispossession and Networks of Resistance? Land, Politics and Agrarian Reform in Egypt

This contribution examines the ways in which land is politicised in Egypt. It argues that it is part of a broader process of accumulation by dispossession in the Middle East. Agricultural reform in Egypt has promoted the interests of a particular political coalition of the erstwhile ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Dispossession has also, however, led to the emergence of political networks of resistance. They are fluid in their composition and they challenge the continuation of agrarian reform that has historically marginalised smallholder farmers. One of the many challenges for post-revolutionary Egypt will be to ensure the development of an inclusive strategy for rural development and an agrarian reform programme that safeguards smallholder interests.