CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Samir, Ahmed |
|---|---|
| Title | In the Name of the Mother: Abortion Politics in Egypt Beyond Religion and Law |
| Summary | Abstract This thesis argues that the prohibition of abortion in Egypt is driven less by religious doctrine or legal criminalization than by the symbolic power of motherhood. While some Islamic opinions prohibit abortion, many schools of Islamic jurisprudence permit it during the early stages of pregnancy under specific conditions. Legally, abortion is criminalized and punishable by prison terms, yet these penalties are rarely enforced, rendering the law largely inactive. Nonetheless, abortion remains difficult to access. I argue that abortion politics in Egypt emerges from the intersection of symbolic motherhood, state demographic anxieties, and unequal access to economic, social, and cultural capital. Motherhood is not only idealized as the core of womanhood in Egyptian society, but also functions as symbolic capital that grants social value while disciplining women. Any act perceived as a breach of this symbolic order -such as abortion- is punished, whether socially or legally. Women’s ability to navigate or overcome these obstacles depends on their financial resources, education, and social networks. This thesis is based on fifteen qualitative interviews with individuals who underwent or supported an abortion, alongside analysis of state discourse, religious rulings, court cases, parliamentary records, and media coverage. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s conception of power and resistance as intertwined and embedded in everyday social interactions, and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital, this study analyzes how overlapping and often contradictory structures: legal, religious, symbolic, demographic, and economic, govern reproductive life in Egypt beyond formal institutions. It also examines how women resist these forces through James Scott’s notion of “everyday resistance” and Asef Bayat’s concept of “quiet encroachment.&# x201d; Keywo rds: Abortio n, Egypt, Islam, Motherhood, Power, Resistance |
| Supervisor | Geva, Dorit; Naumescu, Vlad |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/samir_ahmed.pdf |
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