Interrogating Encounters: Reconstructing Power in the Chaos of Cairo

On the occasion of Egypt and the US celebrating one hundred years of diplomatic relations (1922–2022) two very significant works of art by Egyptian American writers appeared: Noor Naga’s novel <i>If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English</i> (2022) and Yussef El Guindi’s play “Hotter than Egypt” (2022). Both works show the experience of Americans in Egypt and the myriad of misunderstandings between the locals (Egyptians) and the foreigners (Americans). Both works are set in Cairo in the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution. Instead of the typical stereotypes of the wealthy American and the American Dream aspiring Egyptian, we see shifting power dynamics that go beyond attempting to come to terms with each other. Both texts illustrate the disparities in cross-cultural communication and deconstruct the colonial assumption of “universal values” and White Supremacy. Making use of Connected Sociology theory, this paper asserts that the two works advocate for a rethinking of concepts and a reevaluation of histories informed by this new understandings. Analyzing the power dynamics between US and Egypt as exemplified by the characters in the two texts and the shifting shapes of power to provide an understanding that emphasizes the fluid nature of power based on wider relationships of individuals and their life experiences in a global context.