Promoting Inclusivity in Lebanon’s 2019 October Uprising: Dilemmas of Organizers

What is it about?

This article presents a case study of the 2019 Lebanese October Uprising, which was a mass mobilisation against Lebanon's sectarian elites. The study explores why it was difficult for organisers in the uprising to promote inclusivity across sect, class and geography. It is based on interviews twenty-two organizers from Beirut and focuses on inclusivity issues concerning residents from two Shiʿite majority communities in and around the Lebanese capital. These communities were subject to stereotyping and exclusive attitudes among some groups of protesters, and most organizers had a desire to address these issues. However, they also found themselves caught in a dilemma, fearing that their efforts to promote inclusivity could trigger accusations of sectarian biases and favoritism.

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Photo by Charbel Karam on Unsplash

Photo by Charbel Karam on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The study addresses an understudied and delicate issue in the October Uprising. Moreover, it contributes to a wider discussion about the limitations of protest movements in divided societies. Several interviewees in the study believed long-term grassroots initiatives, which focus on local livelihood issues, could provide opportunities for promoting solidarity with groups that were difficult to include in the larger protest movement. This suggests that the key to forging a broad opposition against Lebanon’s sectarian elites may lie in combining different types of mobilisations.

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