Coups and Revolutions
Mass Mobilization, the Egyptian Military, and the United States from Mubarak to Sisi
Amy Austin Holmes
Reviews and Awards
"Amy Holmes has written a useful and extremely fine-grained analysis of what she identifies as revolutionary and counter-revolutionary waves in Egypt... this is a useful study with a strong point of view that is based on years of study, research, and personal observation." -- W. Andrew Terrill, U.S. Army War College, The Middle East Journal
"In contesting the pervasive juxtaposition of the opposition elite with the regime elite, Holmes deploys a class lens that brings them together as one ruling political/financial bloc. Through this lens, she not only explains the reluctance of the working and middle-class networks that mobilized against Mubarak, Morsi, and the transitional military order between them to associate themselves with the opposition elite, but also makes sense of what faultily appeared as a paradoxical turnaround in the agenda of the contentious movement when this elite endorsed the coup and its crackdown on dissent." -- Hesham Shafick, Teaching Fellow at SOAS, University of London
"Holmes—who has not only done superb scholarship, but suffered persecution by the Sisi regime for her efforts—has done revolution and Middle Eastern studies an invaluable service. Her book should remain essential reading as the battle for Egypt's future continues." -- Dana Moss, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame
"In Coups and Revolutions, Holmes turns a fresh lens on the Egyptian uprisings. Framing recent waves of social mobilization in Egypt as a historical process, she offers a detailed account of the multiple, distinct moments of protest the country has witnessed between 2011 and 2018. Along the way, we learn much about the micro-dynamics of the revolutionary process and the ways in which coups, revolutions, and counter-coups can evolve symbiotically."-" -- Melani Cammett, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University
"Amy Austin Holmes' take on Egypt's 2013 coup and subsequent repression is original as well as compelling, even for readers who have followed events in the country closely. Her ethnographic research on social movements including Tamarod and careful analysis of why the military crushed not only the Muslim Brotherhood but all forms of popular mobilization add much to the literature on coups and counter revolutions in general, as well as on contemporary Egypt" -- Michele Dunne, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
"Amy Austin Holmes has written an empirically rich book on the Egyptian revolutionary uprising of 2011 and its aftermath. Her book is grounded in interviews with activists, her own participation in many of the events she describes, and contemporary video and journalist accounts. Holmes offers a novel and provocative idea for comprehending the ouster of Mohamed Morsi: a coup from below. This will undoubtedly spark debate among scholars of social movements, revolutionary change, and contemporary Egyptian politics" -- Ellis Goldberg, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington
"Coups and Revolutions masterfully analyzes the waves of revolution and counterrevolution in Egypt between 2011 and 2018. Holmes' analysis rests upon both a close familiarity with events in Egypt and a nuanced deployment of social-scientific theories of coups and revolutions. Her novel concept of 'coup from below' will surely generate much discussion and debate. Read this book to understand why and how a promising revolution was ruthlessly crushed" -- Jeff Goodwin, Professor of Sociology, New York University
