When Chautauqua Institution was founded in 1874, it became enshrined in principles of education and self-improvement. Its founders were nine years out of the Civil War and immersed in the turbulence of Reconstruction, abolition and political unrest — but instead of using their leisure time to relax, the forefathers of Chautauqua decided to form a vacation community that nurtured intellectual stimulation.
Egypt has known struggle in the last few years. Since the Egyptian Revolution was born on Jan. 25, 2011, the country with the largest Arab population has had four presidents, seen unprecedented violence, and continues to experience corruption, repression and poverty. Twenty-five percent of the population lives under the poverty line, and 40 percent is illiterate.
As Week Four’s examination of the Egyptian experience continues at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater, the director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies will moderate a discussion with spokesmen for two divergent contemporary Egyptian political perspectives.
The Chautauquan Daily 