The Coptic Christians of Egypt have traditionally been portrayed as a "beleaguered minority." This book uses newly discovered Coptic archival sources to present a vivid and alternative image of the community, examining Coptic agency in the twentieth century.

Vivian Ibrahim reveals a strong Coptic response to the emergence and threats of Political Islam from the 1940s, and examines how Copts negotiated a role for themselves during the colonial period and in Nasser’s post-revolutionary Egypt. Dismissing the monolithic portrayal of the community, she highlights the varied Coptic factions and groups that contributed to the identity of the Coptic community in the first half of the twentieth century.

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