Masaki Okado

村上薫編著、調査研究報告書（2017年度）第5章。

This article considers role and meaning of the village association, which organized by people originally from countryside in Egyptian city, based on anthropological participant observation. The member of the association extends from migrant workers to the people who was born and raised in the city, and have countryside-born farther. All of them are related to Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt. This article explains each role of head office of the association and branch one and how different those. Head office acts as branch office's deputy for administrative office of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. On the other side, branch offices have subsequent member. Then, the article analyzes the motive of joining the village association for the member who take part in branch office. The point of the motive is not only the aid, but also getting to know many kinds of people from same hometown who have different job and social level. The latter is more important than the former for daily life of the city where many stranger live in. In conclusion, the meaning of the village association in the city is the one of the choices to know the people in the name of the hometown. According to the associational law No. 84, the association manages activities as much as religious or trade associations do. Only difference is the membership whether same hometown, religion, or profession. Through the association, the members create their social networks and their identities, and recognize many kinds of people together with knowing the city itself.

This paper makes clear how migrant workers make full use of their social network that they have in their home, and expand them, and what there is the base where can support them through the process of achieving the work and the dwelling in the city, by Anthropological participant observation. This paper takes up Ahwa as examples of that kind of the base from the result of the writer's fieldwork. Ahwa is a traditional coffee shop. It spreads in the Egyptian society as the place for meeting, discussion, relaxation and amusement of the people. However, aside from this typical viewpoint, in Ahwa I of the street where migrant workers mainly come together in Alexandria, the site foremen assign the construction work that pour the concrete into the building to his kinship. In assignment the work, site foreman's social network affects his decision strongly. In conclusion, migrants not only depend on the blood and local ties formed in their hometown to construct their strategy of life in the city but also utilize bases like Ahwa to establish a wider network and to secure more fruitful chances. The existence of the base makes them decide to go the proposed site that they work.