Andrea B. Rugh is Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, USA. She lived in the Middle East for more than 25 years, including six years in Egypt. She has published books on family in Egypt, childrearing in Syria, and political leadership in the UAE.

List of illustrations
Preface
1. Introduction: Study Questions and the History of Christianity in Egypt
2. The Origins of Bulaq and the Social Welfare Center
3. Christian Migration to Cairo
4. Bulaq Center Members
5. Christian Religious Community
6. Personal Relations in Creating Boundaries
7. Communicating the Messages of Christian Community
8. Dispute Resolution in the Community
9. Social Controls on Marriage
10. Formal Boundaries between Christians and Muslims
11. Everyday Interactions between Christians and Muslims
12. Christian and Muslim Family Organization
13. Resolving Personal Problems
14. Spirit Possession in Christian and Muslim Communities
15. Christian Community in a Muslim Quarter of Cairo
16. Christian Experience with National Politics to the Present
17. Christian Strategies and Survival in Modern Egypt
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index

Christians in the Middle East have come under increasing pressure in recent years with the rise of radical Islam. In Egypt, the large Coptic Christian community has traditionally played an important political and historical role. This book examines Egyptian Christians' responses to sectarian pressures in both national and local contexts.