© 2012 – Routledge
226 pages | 30 B/W Illus.
This book examines the legacy of Lebanon’s civil war and how the population, and the youth in particular, are dealing with their national past. Drawing on extensive qualitative research and social observation, the author explores the efforts of those who wish to remember, so as not to repeat past mistakes, and those who wish to forget.
In considering how the Lebanese youth are negotiating this collective memory, Larkin addresses issues of:
Shedding new light on trauma and the persistence of ethnic and religious hostility, this book offers a unique insight into Lebanon’s recurring communal tensions and a fresh perspective on the issue of war memory. As such, this is an essential addition to the existing literature on Lebanon and will be relevant for scholars of sociology, Middle East studies, anthropology, politics and history.
"His writing remains always sober, collected, impartial, and most of all decent, adding much needed substance depth and class to the literature on Lebanon’s history and memory."- Franck Salameh, The Levantine Review, 2012.
1. Introduction: Beyond the War? 2. Locating a Postmemory Generation 3. Contesting Lebanon: History, Identity and Co-existence 4. (Re)Imagining the Nation: School, Street and the ‘Independence Intifada’ 5. Space, Place and Site: Inhabiting Postwar Memoryscapes 6. Time, Story and Myth: Narrating Lebanon’s Future 7. Conclusions