Dissertation Defense: Yasser Sultan
Candidate: Yasser Sultan
Major: History
Advisors: Judith Tucker, Ph.D. and Osama Abi-Mershed, Ph.D.
Beyond the Battlefield: Propaganda and the Battle for Narrative in Modern Egypt
This dissertation investigates key factors contributing to the remarkable status that the Egyptian Army holds among state institutions, aiming to elucidate the conceptual framework underpinning its distinctive significance in societal consciousness. Situating this phenomenon within the paradigm of hegemony, the study investigates the non-coercive mechanisms instrumental in facilitating the dominance of the military ruling elite following the 1952 coup d’état.
The dissertation argues that the army’s hegemony primarily stems from propagandistic narratives exalting its role as the quintessential national institution responsible for the nation’s historical and contemporary glory. These narratives imbue the army with symbolic significance and mythological gravitas, thereby positioning it as morally superior to other state institutions. The study traces the genesis and dissemination of these narratives across various socio-cultural spheres, including the press, education system, and religious discourse —core constituents of civil society.
Special emphasis is placed on the construction of the initial myth surrounding the army in 1956, and its subsequent displacement by the 1973 myth following the collapse of the former in 1967. The dissertation demonstrates how wartime propaganda transcended its immediate function of morale bolstering to assume a formative role in shaping enduring official narratives of these conflicts. These narratives were subsequently integrated into educational curricula and religious discourses, perpetuating them as enduring forms of sociological propaganda that solidified the military’s hegemonic position in the national consciousness. Religion, the dissertation contends, played a supportive role in this process, contributing to both direct propaganda endeavors and the establishment of enduring symbolic motifs that transcended the exigencies of wartime. Furthermore, the dissertation argues that the military regime of 1952 deliberately manipulated the Egyptian national narrative to further entrench the notion of the army as the custodian of the nation’s historical glory from time immemorial.
In essence, the study illustrates how these propagandistic narratives and symbolic constructs constitute the bedrock of the army’s long-term propaganda strategy, affording it a distinct advantage and enabling it to wield considerable influence and garner public allegiance whenever called upon.