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Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism

This research examines Egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberal economic policies through a Third World feminist and feminist political economy framework. It argues that neoliberalism in Egypt has produced controlling power dynamics through restructuring labor markets, social reproduction, and lega...

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Main Author: Elmalky, Asmaa
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2026
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access_status_str Open Access
author Elmalky, Asmaa
author_browse Elmalky, Asmaa
author_facet Elmalky, Asmaa
author_sort Elmalky, Asmaa
collection Thesis
description This research examines Egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberal economic policies through a Third World feminist and feminist political economy framework. It argues that neoliberalism in Egypt has produced controlling power dynamics through restructuring labor markets, social reproduction, and legal systems in ways that disproportionately impoverish women, particularly working-class women. The research maps diverse feminist engagements with neoliberal reforms, including structural adjustment programs, privatization, labor reduction, and legal liberalization. These critiques were influenced by the debates between Third World and transnational feminism, the thesis emphasizes the importance of national specific analysis in understanding how global neoliberal policies are mediated through national institutions, state power, and patriarchal social relations. Using Silvia Federici’s conceptualization of neoliberalism as a continuous process of primitive accumulation, the research highlights women’s unpaid reproductive labor and precarious waged work as central sites of capitalist accumulation. Through an analysis of labor law, personal status law, and international legal frameworks, the thesis demonstrates that law operates as a key mechanism in consolidating neoliberal and patriarchal power rather than protecting women. Most importantly, the paper explores Egyptian feminist scholarship as a critical intervention that exposes the structural roots of women’s impoverishment and challenges dominant narratives of neoliberal “empowerment.”
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institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:03.647Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
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source_str AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3769 Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism Elmalky, Asmaa This research examines Egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberal economic policies through a Third World feminist and feminist political economy framework. It argues that neoliberalism in Egypt has produced controlling power dynamics through restructuring labor markets, social reproduction, and legal systems in ways that disproportionately impoverish women, particularly working-class women. The research maps diverse feminist engagements with neoliberal reforms, including structural adjustment programs, privatization, labor reduction, and legal liberalization. These critiques were influenced by the debates between Third World and transnational feminism, the thesis emphasizes the importance of national specific analysis in understanding how global neoliberal policies are mediated through national institutions, state power, and patriarchal social relations. Using Silvia Federici’s conceptualization of neoliberalism as a continuous process of primitive accumulation, the research highlights women’s unpaid reproductive labor and precarious waged work as central sites of capitalist accumulation. Through an analysis of labor law, personal status law, and international legal frameworks, the thesis demonstrates that law operates as a key mechanism in consolidating neoliberal and patriarchal power rather than protecting women. Most importantly, the paper explores Egyptian feminist scholarship as a critical intervention that exposes the structural roots of women’s impoverishment and challenges dominant narratives of neoliberal “empowerment.” 2026-02-15T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2708 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3769/viewcontent/Asmaa_Mabrouk_Elmalky_Thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Egyptian Feminism Neoliberalism Third World Political Economy Primitive Accumulation Structural Adjustment Economics Gender and Sexuality Law
spellingShingle Egyptian Feminism
Neoliberalism
Third World
Political Economy
Primitive Accumulation
Structural Adjustment
Economics
Gender and Sexuality
Law
Elmalky, Asmaa
Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title_full Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title_fullStr Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title_full_unstemmed Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title_short Egyptian Feminist Critiques of Neoliberalism
title_sort egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberalism
topic Egyptian Feminism
Neoliberalism
Third World
Political Economy
Primitive Accumulation
Structural Adjustment
Economics
Gender and Sexuality
Law
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2708
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3769/viewcontent/Asmaa_Mabrouk_Elmalky_Thesis.pdf
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