Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will after the 17 October Protests in Lebanon
In: Middle East Law and GovernanceSearch for other papers by Ibrahim Halawi in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Bassel F. Salloukh in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
This field note reflects on a persistent Gramscian dilemma that has haunted non- and anti-sectarian postwar protests in Lebanon on the road to 17 October 2019: how can genuine political transformation be brought about absent its meaningful, context-sensitive, and creative organizational forms and preconditions? We situate the 17 October protests in a long line of anti-sectarian protests that have overlooked the necessity of political organization in the pursuit of political change. In so doing, however, they have missed yet another strategic opportunity to sabotage the range of clientelist, institutional, and discursive practices reproducing sectarian modes of mobilization and identification in postwar Lebanon. We then magnify this omission by presenting the experience of Mouwatinoun wa Mouwatinat Fi Dawla (Citizens in a State): a political party that explicitly departs from the civil society handbook by politicizing opposition to the sectarian system.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2705 | 391 | 27 |
| Full Text Views | 322 | 24 | 5 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 652 | 42 | 9 |
Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will after the 17 October Protests in Lebanon
In: Middle East Law and GovernanceSearch for other papers by Ibrahim Halawi in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Bassel F. Salloukh in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This field note reflects on a persistent Gramscian dilemma that has haunted non- and anti-sectarian postwar protests in Lebanon on the road to 17 October 2019: how can genuine political transformation be brought about absent its meaningful, context-sensitive, and creative organizational forms and preconditions? We situate the 17 October protests in a long line of anti-sectarian protests that have overlooked the necessity of political organization in the pursuit of political change. In so doing, however, they have missed yet another strategic opportunity to sabotage the range of clientelist, institutional, and discursive practices reproducing sectarian modes of mobilization and identification in postwar Lebanon. We then magnify this omission by presenting the experience of Mouwatinoun wa Mouwatinat Fi Dawla (Citizens in a State): a political party that explicitly departs from the civil society handbook by politicizing opposition to the sectarian system.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2705 | 391 | 27 |
| Full Text Views | 322 | 24 | 5 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 652 | 42 | 9 |
