Memory and Conflict in Lebanon : Remembering and Forgetting the Past

This book examines the legacy of Lebanon’s civil war and how the population, and the youth in particular, are dealing with their national past. Drawing on extensive qualitative research and social observation, the author explores the efforts of those who wish to remember, so as not to repeat past mistakes, and those who wish to forget.

In considering how the Lebanese youth are negotiating this collective memory, Larkin addresses issues of:

• Lebanese post-war amnesia and the gradual emergence of new memory discourses and public debates
• Lebanese nationalism and historical memory
• visual memory and mnemonic landscapes
• oral memory and post-war narratives
• war memory as an agent of ethnic conflict and a tool for reconciliation and peace-building.
• trans-generational trauma or postmemory.

Shedding new light on trauma and the persistence of ethnic and religious hostility, this book offers a unique insight into Lebanon’s recurring communal tensions and a fresh perspective on the issue of war memory. As such, this is an essential addition to the existing literature on Lebanon and will be relevant for scholars of sociology, Middle East studies, anthropology, politics and history.