Waubonsee Community College

The Shiʼites of Lebanon, modernism, communism, and Hizbullah's Islamists, Rula Jurdi Abisaab and Malek Abisaab

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-326) and index

index present

non fiction

The Shiʼites of Lebanon

bibliography

889210894

Rula Jurdi Abisaab and Malek Abisaab

Middle East studies beyond dominant paradigms

modernism, communism, and Hizbullah's Islamists

The complex history of Lebanese Shi'ites has traditionally been portrayed as rooted in religious and sectarian forces. The Abisaabs uncover a more nuanced account in which colonialism, the modern state, social class, and provincial politics profoundly shaped Shi'i society. The authors trace the sociopolitical, economic, and intellectual transformation of the Shi'ites of Lebanon from 1920 during the French colonial period until the late twentieth century. They shed light on the relationship of contemporary Islamic militancy with traditions of religious modernism and leftism in both Lebanon and Iraq. Analyzing the interaction between sacred and secular features of modern Shi'ite society, the authors clearly follow the group's turn toward religious revolution and away from secular activism. This book transforms our understanding of twentieth-century Lebanese history and demonstrates how the rise of Hizbullah was conditioned by Shi'ites' consistent marginalization and neglect by the Lebanese state

Prologue: Landscapes of Shiʻite protest -- The Shiʻites and Grand Liban -- Education, modernism, and anticolonial struggle -- Communists in the Ulama's homes : economic shifts, religious culture, and the state -- The "Shiʼite communist," the clerical movement, and the Islamists in Iraq -- Shiʻite discontent : Sayyid Musa al-Sadr and the Left -- Political Islam and the formation of Hizbullah -- The Islamists and civil society -- The Islamists : modernity and predicament of the nation-state -- Conclusion