Mediatizing Slum Relocation in Egypt: Between Legitimization and Stigmatization

In Egypt, the relocation of residents of informal areas of housing into "proper" living environments is presented as a major political achievement offering citizens a much-improved quality of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that, following the Arab Uprisings, the current regime is wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Media and communication (Lisboa) 2021-09, Vol.9 (4S2), p.345-359
Main Authors: Elmouelhi, Hassan, Meyer, Martin, Reda, Reham, Abdelhalim, Asmaa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizens
Communication
Development programs
Digital media
Fishing
Housing
Imagery
informal settlements
Interdisciplinary aspects
Interdisciplinary research
Interdisciplinary studies
Lefebvre, Henri
legitimization
Mass media
mediatization
Narratives
Perceptions
Politics
Quality of life
Rebellions
Relocation
Representations
Resettlement
Slums
Social media
Social networks
Stigma
Transformation
Urban development
Urban poor
Urban studies
Urbanism
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Summary:In Egypt, the relocation of residents of informal areas of housing into "proper" living environments is presented as a major political achievement offering citizens a much-improved quality of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that, following the Arab Uprisings, the current regime is widely publicizing relocation projects as success stories on TV and social media. As a way of garnering legitimization and securing stability, this official representation is reshaping the residents' urban life and evoking narratives of slum dwellers' transformation into respected citizens. Tackling a new area of interdisciplinary research between urban studies and media and communication studies, this article investigates the portrayal in mainstream media channels and social media platforms of two relocation projects (Al-Asmarat in Cairo and Al-Max in Alexandria), contrasting them with the residents' perceptions of their new homes and their efforts to produce counter-imagery. The authors argue that both the state-dominated representation of the Al-Asmarat resettlement as an ideal solution to the crisis of informal settlements, as well as the more bottom-up construction of the Al-Max community as a picturesque fishing community, do not reflect the material experience of the inhabitants-despite it being presented as such in nationwide reporting. The effective centering of the public debate around the mediatized images has thus deflected criticism and enabled urban development projects to be positioned to legitimize the current rule despite the shortcomings of their implementation.
ISSN:2183-2439
2183-2439
DOI:10.17645/mac.v9i4.4491