Description: Classless Politics offers a counterintuitive account of the relationship between neoliberal economics and Islamist politics in Egypt. Hesham Sallam examines why Islamist movements have gained support at the expense of the left, even amid conflicts over the costs of economic reforms.
Review Quotes:
Sallam has written a compelling and excellent book on the ways the structural conditions surrounding economic austerity measures shaped Islamist responses and successes in Egypt. Today, Egypt, like many other countries, sees "less class and more identity" in its everyday politics. This transformation is directly tied to the weakening of leftist parties and the dominance of neoliberalism. Sallam puts forth a rich book that captures the sentiments of elites and citizens as they embraced this new reality.
--Amaney A. Jamal, author of Of Empires and Citizens: Pro-American Democracy or No Democracy at All?