Table Of ContentRETHINKING
NASSERISM
Revolution and Historical Memory
in Modern Egypt
Edited by Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler
Rethinking Nasserism
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
Gamal (cid:2)Abd al-Nasser greets a little girl. From Al-Musawwar, Cairo, 1959.
Rethinking
Nasserism
Revolution and Historical Memory in Modern Egypt
edited by Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler
University Press of Florida
Gainesville ·Tallahassee ·Tampa ·Boca Raton
Pensacola ·Orlando ·Miami ·Jacksonville ·Ft. Myers
Copyright 2004 by Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler
Printed in the United States of America on recycled, acid-free paper
All rights reserved
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rethinking Nasserism : revolution and historical memory
in modern Egypt / edited by Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8130-2704-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Egypt—History—Revolution, 1952. 2. Nasser, Gamal
Abdel, 1918–1970. 3. Egypt—Politics and government—
1952–1970. 4. Arab nationalism—Egypt.
I. Podeh, Elie. II. Winckler, Onn.
DT107.83.R45 2004
962.05'2—dc22 2003070525
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing
agency for the State University System of Florida, comprising
Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida
State University, University of Central Florida, University of
Florida, University of North Florida, University of South
Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
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Contents
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii
Foreword by Gabriel Ben-Dor ix
Preface and Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xvii
Introduction: Nasserism as a Form of Populism 1
Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler
Part I. Images of Nasserism
1. Gamal (cid:2)Abd al-Nasser: Iconology, Ideology, and Demonology 45
Leonard Binder
2. Demonizing the Other: Israeli Perceptions of Nasser and Nasserism 72
Elie Podeh
3. History, Politics, and Collective Memory: The Nasserist Legacy in
Mubarak’s Egypt 100
Meir Hatina
Part II. Political and Social Aspects of Nasserism
4. Nasserism’s Legal Legacy: Accessibility, Accountability, and
Authoritarianism 127
Nathan J. Brown
5. Sports, Society, and Revolution: Egypt in the Early Nasserite Period 144
Yoav Di-Capua
6. Nasserist and Post-Nasserist Elites in an Official Biographical
Lexicon 163
Uri M. Kupferschmidt
Part III. Nasser’s Foreign Policy
7. (cid:2)Abd al-Nasser’s Regional Politics: A Reassessment 179
Avraham Sela
8. (cid:2)Abd al-Nasser and the United States: Enemy or Friend? 205
David W. Lesch
9. Nasser and the Soviets: A Reassessment 230
Rami Ginat
Part IV. Nasser’s Socioeconomic Policies and Achievements
10. An Assessment of Egypt’s Development Strategy, 1952–1970 253
M. Riad El-Ghonemy
11. Nasser’s Egypt and Park’s Korea: A Comparison of Their Economic
Achievements 264
Paul Rivlin
12. Nasser’s Family Planning Policy in Perspective 282
Gad G. Gilbar and Onn Winckler
Part V. Cultural Aspects of Nasserism
13. The Nightingale and the Ra(cid:3)is: (cid:2)Abd al-Halim Hafiz and Nasserist
Longings 307
Joel Gordon
14. Nasser and Nasserism as Perceived in Modern Egyptian Literature
through Allusions to Songs 324
Gabriel M. Rosenbaum
Selected Bibliography 343
List of Contributors 355
Index 359
Tables
10.1. Shares of Consumption, Savings, and Investment in GDP, 1950
and 1970 258
10.2. Investment, GDP Growth, Inequality, and Poverty Estimates in
Agriculture, 1952–1970 260
11.1. Population, Total GDP, and GDP per Capita in Egypt and South
Korea, 1960–1998 (current prices) 265
11.2. Primary Educational Enrollment Ratio in Egypt and South Korea,
1960–1997 267
11.3. Literacy Rates in Egypt and South Korea, 1960–1997 268
12.1. Egypt’s Rates of Natural Increase, 1907–1998 283
12.2. Demographic Variables for Egypt and Several Middle Eastern,
Asian, and Latin American Countries, 1960–1998 288
12.3. Selected Socioeconomic Data for Egypt and Tunisia, 1960 and
1998 295
Figures
11.1. Total Population and GDP per Capita in Egypt and South Korea,
1960–1998 265
12.1. Egypt’s Crude Birth and Death Rates, 1907–1998 284
Foreword
Gamal (cid:2)Abd al-Nasser appears to some pundits as a towering giant but to
others as a leader who may have been a good manipulator and a successful
demagogue and nothing more. These conflicting assessments are the result
of the difficulty entailed in adopting a proper perspective on the study of
political leaders just a few decades after they have passed from the scene.
This foreword attempts to present a balanced review of Nasser’s achieve-
ments and failures. An analysis of these leads to some tentative conclusions,
indicating that Nasser should indeed be credited with great accomplish-
ments that can be understood only in the context of his own time. His fail-
ures, though, are also characteristic of the legacy he left. Nasser, therefore,
has been a towering figure, and it is difficult to think of anyone else to
compete with his stature and impact. Hence a study of his politics and socio-
economic policies yields useful insights toward a better understanding of
Arab and Middle Eastern political issues and systems. Looking back upon
the age and deeds of Nasser, even in retrospect of three decades, evokes very
strong emotions. It was impossible to be indifferent toward Nasser. One
either loved him or hated him. Nasser belongs to the category of distin-
guished names and figures. He tried to do great things for his country and
the Arab world, and his successes were as resounding as his failures.
Nasser strove to bring about massive change in both domestic politics
and international relations. This unity of his actions came late, ultimately
resulting from his practical experience in the rough and tumble of the politi-
cal arena. Nasser was not, by nature, an ideologue, despite his rhetoric,
which often seemed to indicate otherwise. Rather, he was a true pragmatist
who believed in trial and error and who changed ideologies not exactly
rapidly or easily but without too many strong attachments or qualms. In
this, he may be representative of a broad spectrum of leaders who seemed
ideological but who came to ideology late in their careers, mixing and
changing all the while. However, he was not great in building political insti-
tutions, which was one reason for his difficulties in forging a viable political
party. He did not enjoy the kinds of political activities in which party ap-
paratchiks excel.
At the same time, by way of contrast—great leaders are often men of great
Description:"An enormous amount of academic literature has been published on Nasserism since the 1950s and, to my mind, Rethinking Nasserism is without a doubt the last word on the subject. . . . An outstanding reappraisal of Nasserism as a major force in the 20th-century Middle East."--Israel Gershoni, Tel Avi
