Lebanon
The Rise and Fall of a Secular State under Siege

Chronicles secularism in Lebanon up to the present day, presenting possible causes for its decline in the face of sectarianism.

Mark Farha (Author)

9781108458016, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 August 2019

326 pages
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.53 kg

'The book combines a unique analysis of secularism and sectarianism as political phenomena and breaks new ground in the study of Lebanese history and politics.' P. Rowe, Choice

Why has secularism faced such challenges in the Middle East and in Lebanon in particular? In light of dominating headlines about the spread of sectarianism and the so-called death of Arab secularism, Mark Farha addresses the need for a thorough examination of the history of secular thought and practice in the region. By offering a comprehensive, systematic account of the underlying ideological, socio-economic, and political factors involved, Farha provides a new understanding of the historical roots of secularism as well as the potential causes for the continued resistance a fully deconfessionalized state faces both in Lebanon and in the region at large. Drawing on a vast corpus of primary and secondary sources to examine the varying political parties and ideologies involved, this book provides a fresh approach to the study of religion and politics in the Arab world and beyond.

Foreword: why Lebanon? Why secularism?
Introduction and conceptual framework
1. Definitions and genealogies of secularism
2. Prototypes of secularism in Lebanon
3. Waystations of the Lebanese Republic
4. Socio-economic globalization and secularism 1990–2005
Conclusion: secularism and Lebanon in the eye of the sectarian storm.

Subject Areas: Central government [JPQ], Constitution: government & the state [JPHC], Religious & theocratic ideologies [JPFR], Politics & government [JP]