Religion, State, and Society in Lebanon: Consociational Curse or Blessing? A talk by Mark Farha

Lebanon’s pluri-communal state has received its share of champions and critics. To its antagonists, the political system serves as the ready scapegoat for all grievances, from corruption to civil strife. By contrast, defenders of the confessional system and its sectarian quotas have dismissed secularism in the sense of absolute state neutrality vis-à-vis religious and ethnic identities, claiming such an ideal remains an untenable, and indeed dangerous, mirage. In pluralistic societies such as Lebanon, they contend, a consociational democracy is necessitated to avoid the peril of sectarian hegemonies and the resultant alienation of excluded parties. Nonetheless, the question persists: Why has Lebanon, a country with traditionally high levels of literacy, education, and vibrant civic activism, not proceeded further down the path of legal and constitutional secularization? The talk addressed this question, while cross-examining the cumulative effect of key social and (geo)political strains on the Lebanese state that also underlie recent popular protests in the country.