People’s history attempts to study certain political and other phenomena by examining the underlying circumstances of history that go beyond the intrigues, interests and conspiracies of competing elites. It looks at the lives of ordinary people, united by the most common historical denominators to explain collective occurrences in the past or present, and attempts to explore future possibilities.

These variables could be as general as prolonged economic hardship and as a specific as a singular event: war.  The specific thinking process of the Egyptian military might not qualify to be an issue of concern to people historians, but the military’s role in managing the 25 January, 2011 revolution, and coup on 3 July, against the democratically-elected President Mohammed Morsi, is certainly a major variable in whatever collective phenomena that followed.

But can IS be considered a collective phenomenon?

– See more at: ‘Islamic State’ mystery: The anti-history of a historic phenomenon – Ramzy Baroud/Middle East Eye