Sayed Mahmoud: The Book "Mass Media" Opens the File of the Absent Audio Archive in Contemporary History

Journalist Sayed Mahmoud praised the book "Mass Media.. The Cassette Culture in Egypt," published by Dar Al Shorouk, considering it to address an important period in contemporary history—periods that do not receive sufficient attention in academic studies, unlike what is found in foreign researchers' writings.

At the beginning of his talk during the book discussion seminar held on Thursday at the Consulate building, Mahmoud pointed out that one of the book's most prominent features is drawing attention to what the author described as the "shadow archive," or the audio archive, as a marginalized archive in contemporary historical studies. He explained that the commonly known archives are either official or unofficial, but in reality, there is a shadow archive.

He continued that the author defines the shadow archive through places such as the Azbakeya Wall and other old book markets. Through this archive, alongside sources from interviews and historical books, the author was able to create an intellectual collage about a historical period extending from the 1970s until the January 25 Revolution.

He explained that the book originally was a doctoral dissertation submitted at Stanford University, supported by a large number of distinguished professors. He highlighted the author's ability to work with diverse sources and archives, especially what he calls the "underutilized potential of the journalistic archive" as a primary source for the shadow archive.

Sayed Mahmoud noted that one of the inspirations for the book was that the researcher Andrew Simon lived through the period of preparing his thesis during the January Revolution and was close to Tahrir Square, where he listened to the voices of the revolution and various calls. He observed the reuse of songs dating back to the 1970s, which led him to deepen his interest in sound as a tool for mobilization and protest.

He pointed out that the book also highlights contributions of Egyptian researchers in the field of sound history, including Ziad Fahmy, whose works have not been translated into Arabic despite their importance in studying audio archives.

He affirmed that the book approaches a time period familiar to everyone, namely the era of economic openness and what followed. The reader can feel the great effort invested in it and the author's precise knowledge of the Egyptian reality.

He believed that Simon tried to be largely objective, and although this objectivity does not hide some of his biases, he succeeded in highlighting the role voices play in shaping identity during moments of historical transformation.

He explained that the book studies the cassette phenomenon based on the concept of "the history of things," presenting comparative models from other societies, such as understanding contemporary Italian history through cigarette manufacturing, applying the same idea to cassette technology and its global emergence.

He pointed out that the danger of the cassette, from the book's and cultural studies' perspective, lies in what is called "the democracy of the medium," where new media contributed to undermining the state's monopoly on cultural and media means and reduced its ability to shape citizens according to its conditions and policies.

Sayed Mahmoud confirmed that Simon traces the cassette phenomenon as an Egyptian phenomenon that contributed to forming a cultural identity confronting official culture by working on voices that seem contradictory on the surface but lead to a deeper understanding of what is called popular or mass culture.

He noted the author's awareness of ideological confrontations, citing how Ahmed Adaweya's songs were received and how this reception shifted from rejection to integration, while its symbolism remained linked to a constant point of contention between the official and unofficial perceptions.

He said that Andrew Simon drew attention to the fact that individuals owning cassette devices and copying whatever they want represents a form of piracy and infringement on intellectual property rights. He explained that the book traces the forms of this piracy and how it evolved to the extent that a unit was established within the Ministry of Interior to monitor the phenomenon in its various contexts.

He added that the book also presents the reader with the issue of possible collusion among multiple parties in the industry, where copying operations overlap with piracy and official production.

He concluded by pointing out that the book stops at marginalized voices, such as the "audible Islam" that emerged in the 1970s, considering it an essential part of the sound and cultural scene in Egypt during that period.