Dueling modernities on the way to independence

Egypt has gained limited independence from Great Britain and a new constitutional monarchy. But 18 months in, the new democratic mechanisms are already faltering. Furthermore, Egypt is not fully independent. The challenge is that many of the reforms that will supposedly prepare Egypt for independence make Egypt look more and more like Britain. Is it the case that Egypt has to become more like Britain in order to achieve independence from Britain? Students are politicians, industrialists, feminists, reformers, and religious leaders debating whether different proposed reforms are making Egypt modern or western. This is not theoretical. Each game session presents competing reform proposals and players must invest “capital” into the reforms they most want to see. The game develops based on the outcome of the competition within each game session as well as how students strategize how to invest their Capital in one area of reform rather than another. Rather than set factions and indeterminates, all players have strong views on some issues and are persuadable on others. The role of women in the family and society is frequently the test case for debates around how to be politically and economically modern and remain culturally rooted and authentic: such as girls education, women’s suffrage, and change to Islamic marriage laws.

This is a Level 3 game that is still under development but has been approved by the Reacting Editorial Board (REB) for general use. A detailed explanation of the editorial process and game levels can be found on our REB Page.