The Politics of Sectarianism in Postwar Lebanon

Rabie Barakat, Lara. W Khattab, Shoghig Mikaelian, Bassel F Salloukh, Jinan S Al-Habbal

ISBN 10: 074533413X / ISBN 13: 9780745334134

Published by Pluto Press, GB, 2015

About this Item

The wave of popular uprisings that swept across the Arab world starting in December 2010 rattled regimes from Morocco to Oman. However, Lebanon's sectarian system proved immune to the domestic and regional pressures unleashed by the Arab Spring. How can this be explained? How has the country's political elite dealt with challenges to the system? And, finally, what lessons can other Arab states draw from Lebanon's sectarian experience?This book looks at the mix of institutional, clientelist, and discursive practices that sustain the sectarian nature of Lebanon. It exposes snapshots of an ever-expanding sectarian web that occupies substantial areas of everyday life and surveys struggles waged by opponents of the system - by women, teachers, public sector employees, students or coalitions across NGOs - and how their efforts are often sabotaged or contained by numerous systematic forces.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780745334134

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Politics of Sectarianism in Postwar Lebanon
• Publisher: Pluto Press, GB
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074533413X
• ISBN 13: 9780745334134
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 290 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The Arab Spring unsettled regimes across North Africa and the Middle East, from Morocco to Oman. Lebanon, however, proved immune. How can that be explained? What features of Lebanese politics and governance could account for the system’s ability to withstand the domestic and regional pressures unleashed by the Arab Spring?
 
The Politics of Sectarianism in Postwar Lebanon builds on extensive field work to find the answers to those questions and more. Bassel Salloukh, Lebanon’s leading political scientist, analyses the mix of institutional, clientelist, and discursive practices that sustain the sectarian nature of Lebanon, revealing an expanding sectarian web that occupies ever-more-substantial areas of everyday life in Lebanon. It also highlights the struggles waged by opponents of the system, including women, public sector employees, teachers, students, and NGO-based coalitions, and how their efforts often fail to bear fruit because of sabotage by various systematic forces.

About the Authors

Bassel F. Salloukh is associate professor of political science at the Lebanese American University.

 Rabie Barakat is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Edinburgh.

Jinan S. Al-Habbal is a PhD candidate in international relations at the University of St Andrews.

Lara W. Khattab is a PhD candidate in political science at Concordia University in Montreal.

Shoghig Mikaelian is a PhD candidate in political science at Concordia University in Montreal.