The latest book of Egyptian economist Nader Fergany includes articles on the potential of communication technologies to drive social change, written before the 2011 revolution
Al-Tanafuss Taht Al-Ma (Breathing Underwater) by Nader Fergany, Cairo: General Egyptian Book Organisation, 2012
The latest book by scholar Nader Fergany tackles the role of communication technology in reform. The book is a collection of articles and papers published or ready for publication during the last years of the dictatorship of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, written for independent newspapers like Al-Badeel and Al-Dostor, often read online, and despite the regime’s attempts to suppress freedom of expression.
The first section of the book is entitled “Breathing Underwater: The Craving for Revolution Under Authoritarianism.” The second section, completed in 2009 but not published then, is “The Role of Information Technology and Modern Communication Media in Inducing Desired Social Change in the Arab World.”
"It is indeed thanks to the Egyptian people's revolution, and especially to my friend Ahmed Megahed, that this can see the light now, published by the General Egyptian Book Organisation," the author notes in the introduction. Fergany was not allowed to write or appear in the official media for many years.
Nader Fergany is an Egyptian economist who has taught and undertaken research in various institutions in Egypt and beyond. He was lead author of the Arab Human Development Reportand heads Al-Mishkat Centre for Research and Training. Among his publications are An Introduction to Demographic Analysis, and Differentials in Labour Migration, Egypt (1974-1984).
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