The Battle of the Camel: Revolution, transition and tourism in Cairo

This article asks how the 25 January 2011 revolution in Egypt led to entrenchment of existing forms privilege and marginality. To answer this question, critical scholars have taken for granted revolution's linear temporality focused largely on institutional processes at state level following fall President Hosni Mubarak. In contrast, I provide an original take question through extensive ethnographic engagement, focusing moments rupture urban spaces contestation time beyond. More specifically, trace significance understudied moment during revolution: ‘Battle Camel’, when horse/camel drivers who sell rides tourists Pyramids charged protestors Tahrir Square. An ethnography allows me draw out complex temporalities by recognizing diverse marginalized subjects its different ‘stages’. traces these alternative were driven but also obscured longer-term patterns tourism development. It finds that relations power marginality reproduced elite Egyptian visions authenticity key relevant battle – Giza These sites positioned as Egypt's ‘authentic’ past future respectively, reinforcing a colonial neoliberal narrative development made possible protection priorities remarginalization ‘underdeveloped’ camel street vendors sites.