Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Tale I: Al-‘imaara (the building) as topos
- 2 Tale II: Commute
- 3 Tale III: My exhausted and exhausting building
- 4 My flat: Nostalgia and al-zaman al-gamiil (the ‘beautiful old times’)
- 5 The elevator saga: The degeneration of everyday material conditions
- 6 Tale IV: Order
- Conclusion: Making sense of the collage
- Appendix I: Interview with E. D.
- Appendix II: Excerpts from interview with Laila al-Raa’i
- References
- Index
3 - Tale III: My exhausted and exhausting building
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 December 2025
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Tale I: Al-‘imaara (the building) as topos
- 2 Tale II: Commute
- 3 Tale III: My exhausted and exhausting building
- 4 My flat: Nostalgia and al-zaman al-gamiil (the ‘beautiful old times’)
- 5 The elevator saga: The degeneration of everyday material conditions
- 6 Tale IV: Order
- Conclusion: Making sense of the collage
- Appendix I: Interview with E. D.
- Appendix II: Excerpts from interview with Laila al-Raa’i
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter focuses on the history of the quarter of Doqi, with an emphasis on the life-world of a building and the elevator around which a multitude of stories are woven. The chapter engages with the work of Stephen Graham on elevators. The question of multiplying elevator incidents and everyday interactions in the neighbourhood are discussed. The chapter also addresses the topic of elevators in one Egyptian film and focuses on Naguib Mahfouz’s novel Modern Cairo, which takes place in the neighbourhood of Doqi.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cairo collagesEveryday life practices after the event, pp. 80 - 104Publisher: Manchester University PressFirst published in: 2025
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