The second decade of the twenty-first century has been marked by the sudden rise and resounding fall of Islamism. Egypt, the cradle of this ideology, is the Arab country which has most clearly and completely undergone this process. Most of the studies published on Egyptian Islamism, the majority in English, are limited to the period immediately before and after the so-called Arab Spring. However, what happened on the banks of the Nile cannot be understood by analyzing such a limited time period alone. The rise and fall of Egyptian Islamism is the result of lengthy and complex ideological, religious and political developments that have resulted in cycles of co-existence and conflict. This book provides a historical analysis of Egyptian Islamism stretching from the early Islamization of Egypt to the present day when Islamists, removed from politics, have been torn apart by repression, seclusion and the senselessness of terrorism.  All of this leads to a final reflection on the future of Islamism.

The presentation will be attended by Sergio R. Carranza Förster, the book’s author; Fidel Sendagorta, Director General of Foreign and Security Policy at Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and a former Spanish Ambassador to Egypt; and Ángela Rodicio, a journalist at Spain’s RTVE media network. The event will be presented by Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe.