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Abstract

This article explores how revolution stories become a claim to manhood in Egypt, which may be used as leverage when men struggle to live up to the ideal of male provider. The revolution is stylized in the stories that youth have about their participation in the 2011 Thawrat Shabaab (youth revolution). In analyzing the narration and performance of the revolution stories, Herzfeld’s concept of performative excellence becomes relevant. Based on fieldwork undertaken in Cairo, Egypt, in 2013, the author argues that revolution stories and being good at telling jokes impart masculine capital. Inspired by Inhorn’s call for ethnographies on Arab men, this article engages with how Egyptian manhood is produced in interaction with peer groups and underlines the importance of male friendship and humor. Focusing on men from the upper-middle class of Cairo highlights how deeply classed (male) gender is in contemporary Egypt.

Keywords

anthropology class economy ethnography family friendship marriage middle east performativity urban

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Men of Light Blood

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