Andrew Simon: "Cassette Culture in Egypt" Is the Result of 10 Years of Research and Effort
Andrew Simon thanks Dar Al Shorouk and discusses his book "Cassette Culture in Egypt" and research efforts.
SUMMARY
American researcher Andrew Simon expresses gratitude to Dar Al Shorouk and explains the concept of his book "Mass Media: Cassette Culture in Egypt," which took ten years of research, reviewing his experience with the January 25 Revolution and the importance of audio culture in media before the internet.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Andrew Simon thanks Dar Al Shorouk, the book translator, and journalist Sayed Mahmoud.
- The book's idea began with the January 25 Revolution and the observation of audio culture and Sheikh Imam's songs.
- Use of the "shadow archive" concept to write Egypt's history without relying on official documents.
- Research included visual and audio sources and magazines like "Rose Al-Youssef" and "Akhir Sa'a" over thirty years.
- The book is the result of ten years of research and effort and is considered an enjoyable and important work.
CORE SUBJECT
Book on Mass Media and Cassette Culture in Egypt
American researcher Andrew Simon expressed his deep gratitude to Dar Al Shorouk for hosting him in a seminar about his book "Mass Media: Cassette Culture in Egypt," emphasizing that his first visit to Egypt was in 2007 when he visited the "Shorouk Library" at its headquarters in Talaat Harb area. At that time, he never imagined that one day he would write a book published by Dar Al Shorouk and sold in the same library.
Simon thanked Badr Al-Rifai, the book's translator, appreciating the great effort exerted in the translation, as well as journalist Sayed Mahmoud, saying, "As they say, a friend before the road," referring to Mahmoud's interest and support since his arrival in Egypt a week ago.
He also expressed his gratitude to all the Egyptian friends and writers who wrote about the book and engaged with it.
He added that the idea for the book began with the January 25 Revolution when he was living in downtown Cairo and witnessed firsthand the events of the revolution, experiencing the power of voice and what he called "audio culture," hearing Sheikh Imam's songs in the square. This encouraged him to think about writing on media before the internet era through the cassette medium, affirming that popular culture is an integral part of culture in general.
Simon continued that the concept of the "shadow archive" was present from the beginning of his research, questioning, "How can one write the history of a country without relying on official documents? Especially given the absence of official sources and documents in Egypt for important recent historical periods?" before referring to what Egyptian historian Fathi Abdo said about it being "history without official documents."
He explained that he resorted to various visual and audio sources and researched in different places, such as the Azbakeya Wall, and issues of the magazines "Rose Al-Youssef" and "Akhir Sa'a," confirming that he read all their issues over thirty years.
He concluded by emphasizing that the book is the result of ten years of research and effort, and despite the fatigue it required, he considers it an enjoyable and important work.
KEYWORDS
MENTIONED ENTITIES 9
Andrew Simon
👤 Person_MaleAmerican researcher and author of the book "Mass Media: Cassette Culture in Egypt"
Dar Al Shorouk
🏛️ OrganizationPublishing house that hosted Andrew Simon and published his book
Badr Al-Rifai
👤 Person_MaleTranslator of Andrew Simon's book
Sayed Mahmoud
👤 Person_MaleJournalist who supported Andrew Simon in Egypt
January 25 Revolution
EventPopular revolution in Egypt that inspired the book's concept
Sheikh Imam
👤 Person_MaleEgyptian singer and cultural icon mentioned in the context of audio culture
Fathi Abdo
👤 Person_MaleEgyptian historian who referred to the concept of "history without official documents"
Rose Al-Youssef
🏛️ OrganizationEgyptian magazine used by the researcher as a source in his research
Akhir Sa'a
🏛️ OrganizationAnother Egyptian magazine relied upon by the researcher in his study