Between the state and the home: Interpretations of violence within everyday life in Cairo, Egypt

This talk will explore the relationship between state violence and domestic violence amongst low-income residents of Cairo, Egypt. Building on work in feminist geopolitics, which has emphasized the importance of the corporeal within discussions of national and global politics, I interrogate narratives and interpretations of violence within everyday life. In doing so, keen attention is paid to the language used to define and explain violence by interlocutors. In these accounts, ‘violence’, is often understood as being devoid of care and is juxtaposed against ‘discipline’—understood as an act of care meant to correct inappropriate behavior. I ask: can interpretations about violence in the home contribute insights into patterns of violence practiced by the state against its citizens and what, if any, broader implications does this present for Egypt, a country still grappling with political transformation four years after the ‘Arab Spring.’