Sectarianism in Lebanon

Sectarianism in Lebanon refers to the formal and informal organization of Lebanese politics and society along religious lines. It has been formalized and legalized within state and non-state institutions and is inscribed in its constitution. Lebanon recognizes 18 different sects: 67.6% of the population is Muslim (31.9% Sunni, 31% Shia, small percentage of Alawites and Ismailis), 32.4% is Christian, the majority being Maronites Catholics and Greek Orthodox (with smaller groups including Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldean Catholics, Copts, Protestants), while 4.52% is Druze.[1] The foundations of sectarianism in Lebanon date back to the mid-19th century during Ottoman rule. It was subsequently reinforced with the creation of the Republic of Lebanon in 1920 and its 1926 constitution, and in the National Pact of 1943.[2][3] In 1990, with the Taif Agreement, the constitution was revised but did not structurally change aspects relating to political sectarianism.[4] The dynamic nature of sectarianism in Lebanon has prompted some historians and authors to refer to it as "the sectarian state par excellence" because it is a mixture of religious communities and their myriad sub-divisions, with a constitutional and political order to match.[5]

Despite the religious nature of sectarian affiliations, sectarianism in Lebanon is commonly considered to be a political project, as it not only relies on, but also reproduces, complex and unstable relations between religious and sectarian affiliation, on the one hand, and politics, violence, conflict, and co-existence, on the other.[6] Through the sectarian discourse, religion becomes the defining characteristic of the public and political subject, following a logic that has been established by (religious) authorities.

Some scholars and journalists define sectarianism as fixed pre-existing communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups.[7] Other scholars conceive of sectarianism as a set of social practices where daily life is organised on the basis of communal norms and rules that individuals strategically use and transcend.[8][9] This definition highlights the understanding of sectarianism as being co-constituted by people’s practices and agency, rather than rooted in fixed and incompatible communal boundaries.[7] [8][9]

  1. ^ "2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Lebanon". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
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  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rogan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Bahout, Joseph (18 November 2013). "Sectarianism in Lebanon and Syria: The Dynamics of Mutual Spill-Over". United States Institute of Peace.
  5. ^ Hirst, David (2011). Beware of Small States: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East. Nation Books. p. 2.
  6. ^ Shakman Hurd, Elizabeth (2015). "Politics of Sectarianism: Rethinking Religion and Politics in the Middle East". Middle East Law and Governance. 7: 63.
  7. ^ a b Sayed, Linda (2022). "Negotiating Citizenship". In Practising Sectarianism. Stanford:Stanford University Press. pp. 31–51.
  8. ^ a b Sbaiti, Nadya (2022). ""No Room for This Story"". In Practising Sectarianism. Stanford:Stanford University Press. pp. 14–30.
  9. ^ a b L. Deeb, T. Nalbantian, N. Sbaiti (2022). "Introduction". In Practicing sectarianism. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 1–13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)