Class cleavages and ethnic conflict: Coptic Christian communities in modern Egyptian politics
Author: Paul Sedra
Publisher/Publication: Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations
Volume/Issue: 10(2)
DOI/ISBN: 10.1080/09596419908721181
This article’s aim is to present and analyze the role played by the ethnic and religious consciousness among Coptic Christians within Egyptian political life and society. The scope of the article ranges from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, and attempts to put a larger emphasis on Coptic socio-economic roots and political initiatives, as well as to underline the emergence of explicitly sectarian political discourse in Egyptian society, coupled with the rise of an ethnic consciousness and Egyptian citizenship originating from within the Coptic community.