This book is about everyday life in a contemporary Egyptian village and the struggle to survive under extremely hard economic conditions.
Over the last two decades many of the men in the village have spent long periods working in the Gulf. The villagers see this as the only option to make ends meet. Ths issue of labour migration is seen to be a complex one, impacting as it does on a variety of levels - a globally organised labour market, the village, peasant households as well as individuals.
For those left behind, generally women, the young and the old, subsistence agriculture continues. With wider responsibilities within the community, the women break with traditional gender roles.
Inside The Third World Village presents a detailed exploration of the changing assumptions and expectations of these villagers, of the ways in which they have grafted the demands and opportunities of the developed world onto the community of the underdeveloped village.