The Lebanon Uprising of 2019

Voices from the Revolution

Jeffrey G. Karam, Rima Majed, Jeffrey G. Karam, Rima Majed

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780755644438
• eBook ISBN: 9780755644445
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Democracy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

In October 2019, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Lebanon to protest austerity measures in what became known as the "thawra." These were the largest mass protests seen in the country's modern history. The Lebanon Uprising of 2019 puts the revolution in its historical and regional context and also follows the huge transformations that have been unraveling in Lebanon ever since. The book is a unique source of testimonies that brings to the fore the voices of those scholars, activists, researchers, and journalists who took part in the protests or were closely involved in the unfolding events. These accounts include stories about specific events and struggles, views of the uprising from various regions of the country, and reflections on topics such as the labor struggle, disability, the student movement, foreign interventions, the struggle for preserving environmental spaces, the role of refugees and non-Lebanese within the movement, and women and queer participation. The book situates the protests within the historical, political, economic, social, and environmental foundations of the Lebanese polity, as well as in the broader context of a "second wave" of Arab uprisings and a global wave of upheavals in 2019, making this book a testament to the rich history of protests and activism in the country. It features some primary documents, including photos and other materials that were disseminated in the streets and over social media platforms, making this book an important resource of first-hand knowledge.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Notes on Text and Translation
• Chapter 1: Framing the October Uprising in Lebanon: An Unfolding Revolutionary Situation
• Part I: Setting the Stage: Situating the Uprising within the Foundations of the Lebanese Polity, Regional Considerations, and Global Consequences
• Chapter 2: Reckoning with the Past: Selected Scenes from the Modern History of Lebanon
• Chapter 3: Lebanon’s Postwar Political Economy: From Reconstruction to Collapse
• Chapter 4: Wondering about the Social
• Chapter 5: Law in Times of Revolution: A Double-Edged Sword of Repression and Resistance
• Chapter 6: Filthy Flows of Power: A Political Ecology of Disasters in Lebanon
• Chapter 7: “Sectarian Neoliberalism” and the 2019 Uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq
• Chapter 8: The Shadow Guardians of the Status Quo: The Lebanon Uprising of 2019 and the International Politics of Counterrevolution
• Part II: Faces of the Revolutionary Uprising: Tactics, Repression, and Alternative Voices and Movements
• Chapter 9: How Urban Space Shapes Collective Action: The Lebanon Uprising of 2019
• Chapter 10: Alternative Media and Digital Platforms: Empowerment Tools for Civic Engagement
• Chapter 11: Lebanon’s Alternative Labor Movement: In between Collapse and Revolutionary Imaginaries
• Chapter 12: Appearing as Women
• Chapter 13: Clashing with the Patriarchy: The Promise of Potential as Politics
• Chapter 14: The Lebanese Uprising through the Eyes of Loyalists
• Chapter 15: The Power and Limits of Blocking Roads: How the October Uprising Disrupted Lebanon
• Chapter 16: The Different Faces of Counterrevolution and Obstacles for Change in Lebanon
• Chapter 17: The Lebanese* Uprising: Revisions from Refugees and Migrants
• Chapter 18: Lebanese Diaspora, October 17 Uprising, and Political Transformation in Lebanon
• Part III: Experiencing the Revolution (Thawra): Testimonies and Reflections from the Ground
• Chapter 19: The Cycle of Loss: Between Trial and Sabotage
• Chapter 20: “A Nation for All”: The Lebanon Uprising and Disability Rights in Lebanon
• Chapter 21: A Feminist Revolution Par Excellence
• Chapter 22: Student Activism and the October Uprising: We Felt Once More That Everything Is Anew
• Chapter 23: Roadblocking, Mass Strike, and the Qantari Collective
• Chapter 24: Night of the Banks: Uprising against the Rule of Banks
• Chapter 25: The Struggle for the Bisri Valley
• Chapter 26: Reconstructing the Uprising in Tripoli: The Revolution that Never Left the Square
• Chapter 27: The Mobilization in Baalbeck-Hermel: On the Incomplete Uprising of the First Days and the Dissidents That Carried on Despite Everything
• Chapter 28: Experiencing the Uprising in the Chouf and Aley Region
• Chapter 29: Reflections from Two Revolutions: From the Ignition of the Tunisian Revolt to the Lebanon Uprising
• Chapter 30: From Syria to Lebanon: We Felt Again That Everything Is New
• Afterword: How to Speak Up about a Revolution: A Case Study
• List of Contributors
• Index