Protests and political culture : A comparative study between the cases of Egypt and Greece (2008-2012) / Hadeer Tarek Ismail Elmahdawy ; Supervised Nahed Ezz Eldeen , Ebtesam Hussein

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences - Department of Political Science

This study traces the significant influence of globalization on social movements and political culture in both the northern and southern hemispheres of the Mediterranean, by focusing on the positive and negative effects it has had on two case studies Egypt and Greece. These two countries {u2014} which are traditionally different in their political, economic and social models {u2014} witnessed similar mass protests, with similar economic and political demands, reflecting a great convergence that was crystallized in 2011.Globalization, through the internet, has turned the world into a small village, in which most citizens became able to access a variety of cultural and political values and repertoires. As such, globalization has facilitated the creation of new social movements, as well as a global political culture that is pro-democracy and social justice. Mass protests erupted across the world in 2011, including Egypt and Greece, as a result of more widespread internet use for political organization, among other factors. On the other hand, the study showed that globalization has also led to major economic hardships, which manifested in the 2008 global economic crisis. The crisis revealed the weakness of governments, and the corrupt systems with blocked political channels, especially among developing states.This context has incited global youth to become more politically active, allowing younger generations to form both transnational and national social movements and adopt informal politics of dissent {u2014} especially protests against their governments and against the negative forces of globalization, the forces that managed to eventually contain these movements and facilitate the restoration of previous orders

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