This fascinating collection captures the rhythms of real life for the majority of Egyptians. Along with analytical heft, it features portraits of everyday abjection, struggle and adaptation that ring searingly true. Required reading for serious students of Egypt.

Chris Toensing, Middle East Research and Information Project

The contributors to this book effectively challenge the category of marginality as it is commonly used and show that "marginal" people and groups are actively created by the processes of neoliberal capitalism in which they have no role or value. At the same time, "marginals" do not acquiesce to their fate but find creative ways to exercise agency in dealing with their situations. Some contributors argue for the utility of a revised notion of marginality; others argue for increased attention to class and exploitation. This lively debate is a valuable contribution to understanding the underside of the neoliberal phase of capitalism in Egypt.

Joel beinin, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Stanford University, California

I cannot imagine a more relevant collection of revealing snapshots of Egyptian society in the lead-up to the ousting of Mubarak. This excellent book not only offers an insightful reading of the conditions which led to the struggle of the Egyptian people against a devastating neoliberal economic system but also provides a solid contribution, which is grounded in class analysis and an experience of collective resistance, to our understanding of concepts of marginality and exclusion.

Maha Abdelrahman, University of Cambridge

This exciting book provides superb background to an understanding of the Egyptian "revolution" of 2011 and continuing. It provides fresh data on topics that are not generally covered in the press. The essays in this book are essential to understanding Egypt, both the expected and the unexpected.

Nicholas Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, The American University in Cairo