Politics of Social Entrepreneurship in Egypt

The 2011 uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa sparked extensive research on civil society and grassroots mobilizations, deepening our understanding of their relationships with regional regimes. Despite these contributions, the debate on civil society in the region has largely overlooked its evolution amid the resurgence of authoritarianism. This article addresses this gap by examining Egypt’s social enterprise sector as a significant element of civil society in the post- uprising context. By analyzing social enterprises, the study argues that in countries such as Egypt, where the aspirations of democratic resistance forces have been abruptly curtailed by a return to authoritarianism, social enterprises can transform into political spaces that extend beyond their traditional and conventional functions. This approach to social enterprises can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Egyptian civil society in the current authoritarian context.