The History of the Formation of the Exception in Egypt: How Did the Legal State Combine with the Police State?

This paper critically engages with Giorgio Agamben’s notion of the "state of exception" within the context of modern Egypt, arguing that his analysis inadequately addresses the political economy underlying this phenomenon. By applying a qualitative methodology that incorporates archival research and document analysis, the study reveals how the permanent exception in Egypt is less about existential threats to the state and more about territorial arrangements and labor control.

This text attempts to engage with the history of the formation of the exception in Egypt and to understand some of the conditions for its emergence and continuity by answering the following questions: When did the exception begin in Egypt? What are the historical conditions for this birth? How can we understand and identify the factors that produced it? How can we interpret this long continuity?

Unlike Agamben's emphasis on the legal and philosophical dimensions, this research posits that the state of exception is intrinsically linked to Egypt's economic structures and the failure of capital accumulation, which necessitates repressive governance. The findings indicate that marginalized populations are systematically categorized as threats, reflecting a broader socio-economic strategy aimed at maintaining state control.

This case study of Egypt, situated in the Global South, underscores the interplay between legal frameworks and state practices, illustrating how exceptional measures become normalized within a context of economic instability. The paper concludes that a deeper understanding of these dynamics is essential for analyzing the intersections of law, power, and economy, thus offering new insights for scholars and policymakers concerned with the implications of state repression in postcolonial countries.