Tom Najem

An observer of contemporary Lebanon may be struck by two interrelated aspects of Lebanese politics: 1) the continuing predominance of sectarian identity asan essential and deeply ingrained aspect of Lebanese society, to the extent that it is the defining feature of the Lebanese political system to this day, and 2) the rise to political prominence of the Shi‘i sect, and its political organizations, namely Hizbollah. The latter point is particularly interesting given that historically, the Shi‘i community was marginalized and neglected, a fact that has been reflected in the major historical accounts of Lebanon, which tend to focus on the role of other communities, such as the Maronites and Sunni while downplaying or even ignoring the significance of the Shi‘i.