Divided We Stand -- Reflecting on the Social Movement in Lebanon

The social movement that erupted on 17 October 2019 in Lebanon has challenged the iron grip of the post-civil war elites who dominated the political and economic life in the country. However, after few months of protests, the ruling elite seems to be in negligent to what is going on in the country and the demand for a change of the entire regime. The paper seeks to answer the question under what conditions can the protests in Lebanon formulate a successful social movement? While previous research has focused on activist networks and the goals, others have focused on identity and citizenship in addition to religion. Engaging with the literature on collective identity and citizenship on one hand and the regime strategy for survival on the other, the paper aims at showing why the social movement in Lebanon has not led to a change nor even influence the political elites’ way of governing. The paper builds on extensive field work (participants’ observation and interviews) done during November 2019 and February 2020 in the main cities in Lebanon (Beirut and Tripoli).