Full day conference at AUB - A Multifaceted Examination of Lebanese Identity

This event is organized by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut, in partnership with the Michel Chiha Foundation, Saint Joseph University, and the Good Governance & Citizenship Observatory at the Asfari Institute for Civil Society & Citizenship.

Moderated by Joseph Maila, presentations will begin by re-examining and re-contextualizing discussions that took place in the Cénacle Libanais and the various schools of thought that have emerged since the creation of the Lebanese Republic. Presentations will, in addition, explore the role of politics, law, linguistics, natural resources, and DNA studies in shaping contemporary and future identities, with the hope of seeing how such disciplines can both bolster and undermine different forms of national pride and/or mistrust. The goal is to ultimately examine challenges to the formation of a much desired level of trust in current constructions of a “national” identity, despite political instability, racketeering networks, economic crises, and emerging anti-immigrant discourses.