Lebanon Uprising of 2019

In October 2019, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Lebanon to protest austerity measures in what became known as the “thawra.” These were the largest mass protests seen in the country’s modern history.

The Lebanon Uprising of 2019 puts the revolution in its historical and regional context and also follows the huge transformations that have been unraveling in Lebanon ever since. The book is a unique source of testimonies that brings to the fore the voices of those scholars, activists, researchers, and journalists who took part in the protests or were closely involved in the unfolding events. These accounts include stories about specific events and struggles, views of the uprising from various regions of the country, and reflections on topics such as the labor struggle, disability, the student movement, foreign interventions, the struggle for preserving environmental spaces, the role of refugees and non-Lebanese within the movement, and women and queer participation.

The book situates the protests within the historical, political, economic, social, and environmental foundations of the Lebanese polity, as well as in the broader context of a "second wave” of Arab uprisings and a global wave of upheavals in 2019, making this book a testament to the rich history of protests and activism in the country. It features some primary documents, including photos and other materials that were disseminated in the streets and over social media platforms, making this book an important resource of first-hand knowledge.

Jeffrey G. Karam is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lebanese American University (LAU), Lebanon, and a Research Associate at Harvard University’s Middle East Initiative in the U.S. He is the editor of The Middle East in 1958: Reimagining A Revolutionary Year (I.B Tauris, 2020) and his work has been published in both academic and public outlets, including Intelligence and National Security, the Arab Studies Journal, The Washington Post, H-Diplo and ISSF, the Daily Star Lebanon, Megaphone and Jadaliyya.

Rima Majed is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon. Her work has appeared in many academic and media platforms including Social Forces; Mobilization; Middle East Law and Governance; Global Dialogue; Idafat: The Arab Journal of Sociology; Al Jumhuriya; CNN; Middle East Eyes, OpenDemocracy, and Al Jazeera English.