This is a repost of an episode I did with Dr Andrew Arsan, British-Lebanese scholar and author of the book Lebanon: A Country in Fragments, and which was originally released on the Hummus For Thought podcast. I'm releasing it here as an introduction to a series of upcoming episodes on Lebanon that will deal with the October 17th Uprising and its meanings.
The Uprising will serve as a framework through which my guests and I will try to understand the post-war era of Lebanese history, from 1990 to the present moment, as well as some topics dating further back.
We will highlight groups of people that are usually ignored in discussions around Lebanon, including by the Lebanese themselves, such as refugees and migrant workers in Lebanon, including migrant domestic workers (check out the Kafala series), the LGBTQ community, as well as Lebanese Jews, Lebanese Kurds and Lebanese of part African or Asian origins.
We will also be looking at Lebanon's relationship with Palestinians, Syrians, Israelis, Iranians, the Arab world and the West as well as dive into such light topics as Lebanese identity and the diaspora, Hezbollah's role in the region and at home and the environmental threats facing the country.