CAIRO .2011 . EGYPT A semester at the American University in Cairo

Tahrir SquareFebruary 2011

Laura Gribbon . University of East London

Going Global Bursary Report 1

CAIRO .2011 . EGYPT A semester at the American University in Cairo

A ‘Revolutionary’ ExperienceHaving arrived in Egypt mid January for a semester at the American University in Cairo (AUC), I checked into a guest house on Tahrir Square. A few days later a popular uprising be-gan, which revolutionised the nation and transformed my experiences in Egypt.

The 25th January uprising succeeded in ousting President Mubarak, dismantling the state secu-rity apparatus and Parliament, and calling for democratic elections and an end to the emer-gency law.

Images by Laura Gribbon

As the images above show, the semester at AUC still went ahead, despite a late start, and the opportunities it afforded me, to study the ongoing revolution in an academic context, were ex-tremely rewarding. Studying international development/politics at the same time as such a his-toric event was an incredible opportunity, and one that brought my academic studies to life.

Whilst in Cairo, I took pictures and videos of events, as well as speaking to people in Tahrir square. This interaction informed my undergraduate dissertation, which I wrote on the role of agency within the Egyptian Revolution. I was also able to take a module at AUC which was added to the syllabus last minute on the ‘25th January revolution in the context of historical uprisings’. This module was team taught and I benefitted from the expertise of a different lec-turer every week.

Additionally, I was part of a small group of AUC students who were translating and archiving aspects of the revolution - banners, slogans, signs and poetry, and presented them to the public in a one-day symposium held at AUC’s Tahrir Campus (see picture second from left above). This interaction with post-graduate students at AUC enabled me to develop my writing and presentation skills, and challenged me to seek further opportunities.

Despite disruption to the country, I was able to travel a little whilst in Egypt, making trips to Dahab, Ismalaia and Alexandria (see picture on page below).

Laura Gribbon . University of East London

Going Global Bursary Report 2

Future OpportunitiesI received a First Class Honours Degree in International Development with NGO Manage-ment from UEL, and was awarded A’s for both modules taken in Cairo, as well as a first for my dissertation. This result, coupled with my revolutionary experiences have enabled me to secure a place to study MSc Middle Eastern Politics at SOAS in September 2011.

I have also been involved in co-writing a book on ‘Translating Revolution’ with fellow students and professors at AUC, which will be published in January 2012 by AUC Press. The book will elaborate on the work I did at AUC as part of my semester abroad programme.

I am extremely grateful to the Going Global Bursary for their generous contribution to my study abroad semester in Cairo.

Laura Gribbon in Alexandria, Egypt

For more information, please see: http://gribboincairo.tumblr.com/

Laura Gribbon . University of East London

Going Global Bursary Report 3

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