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Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold

Cairo's informal garbage collectors known as the zabaleen, have been the subject of a plethora of research. Their communities in Cairo have been acknowledged for producing a high rate of garbage recycling. Nevertheless, the relation of the zabaleen with their surrounding spaces has endured much fric...

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Main Author: Zaki, Manar
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2018
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access_status_str Open Access
author Zaki, Manar
author_browse Zaki, Manar
author_facet Zaki, Manar
author_sort Zaki, Manar
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.
description Cairo's informal garbage collectors known as the zabaleen, have been the subject of a plethora of research. Their communities in Cairo have been acknowledged for producing a high rate of garbage recycling. Nevertheless, the relation of the zabaleen with their surrounding spaces has endured much friction. The cumbersome job of collecting and carrying the trash is situated within the spheres of neoliberal policies adopted by the government, the supporting organizations that have praised and endorsed their existence, and most importantly, the middle class households that have been the source of garbage for the zabaleen. Ironically, the zabaleen's job and presence have been met with much support as well as criticism. The zabaleen's reaction to the neoliberal policies has been illustrated in research and the media as a steadfast stance which has helped them survive several challenges and continue with their daily work of collecting the enormous amount of garbage generated in Cairo. The present study attempts to delineate the zabaleen's existence in Cairo from the viewpoints of the entities that are in contact with the garbage collectors: the government, the nongovernmental organizations and the middle classes of Cairo. The research situates the zabaleen within the neoliberal spatial and temporal trajectory of the urban and through the lens of the middle class.
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id oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-1401
institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:35:41.195Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
publishDate 2018
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spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-1401 Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold Zaki, Manar Cairo's informal garbage collectors known as the zabaleen, have been the subject of a plethora of research. Their communities in Cairo have been acknowledged for producing a high rate of garbage recycling. Nevertheless, the relation of the zabaleen with their surrounding spaces has endured much friction. The cumbersome job of collecting and carrying the trash is situated within the spheres of neoliberal policies adopted by the government, the supporting organizations that have praised and endorsed their existence, and most importantly, the middle class households that have been the source of garbage for the zabaleen. Ironically, the zabaleen's job and presence have been met with much support as well as criticism. The zabaleen's reaction to the neoliberal policies has been illustrated in research and the media as a steadfast stance which has helped them survive several challenges and continue with their daily work of collecting the enormous amount of garbage generated in Cairo. The present study attempts to delineate the zabaleen's existence in Cairo from the viewpoints of the entities that are in contact with the garbage collectors: the government, the nongovernmental organizations and the middle classes of Cairo. The research situates the zabaleen within the neoliberal spatial and temporal trajectory of the urban and through the lens of the middle class. 2018-02-01T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/402 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/1401/viewcontent/Thesis_Manar_20Zaki_GWST.pdf The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain zabaleen middle class
spellingShingle zabaleen
middle class
Zaki, Manar
Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title_full Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title_fullStr Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title_full_unstemmed Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title_short Middle class imaginaries of Cairo's waste: The zabaleen's story retold
title_sort middle class imaginaries of cairo s waste the zabaleen s story retold
topic zabaleen
middle class
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/402
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/1401/viewcontent/Thesis_Manar_20Zaki_GWST.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT zakimanar middleclassimaginariesofcairoswastethezabaleensstoryretold