The Shiis of Jabal Amil and the New Lebanon: Community and Nation-State, 1918 [Paperback]

Tamara Chalabi highlights the development of a 'politics of demand' and the increased political activism of this community in a time of great change. It also explores how Arab nationalism was transformed from an ideology of opposition and empowerment of marginal communities, into a tool for the assertion of political domination.Introduction PART I: WITH THE NEW LEBANON: POLITICAL EVOLUTION In the Beirut Vilayet: A Description of Jabal 'Amil Jabal 'Amil and the Arab Awakening Turmoil and New Order: Jabal 'Amil in 1920 PART II: IN THE NEW LEBANON: SOCIO-CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION Jabal 'Amil Redefined Out of the Margin Venues for Integration History and Culture

This is a very well-researched and well-written monograph on how the Shi a of South Lebanon negotiated a Lebanese Shi i identity for themselves amid two dominant ideologies - Libanism and Arabism - in both of which Shi a were marginalized . . .the book will be required reading for scholars generally interested in sectarian politics in the Middle East and scholars specifically interested in Lebanese Shi i history and politics because the rich account it offers is also helpful for positioning Shi i activism in Lebanon since the 1960s. - International Journal Middle East Studies

This path- breaking contribution to the changing role of the Shi'i community in Lebanon brings it into the Lebanese picture in a way never done before. Based on extensive use of new private sources, it is a model of scholarship and enhances our understanding of an increasingly prominent community.

- Roger Owen, Professor of Middle East History, Harvard

This book sheds new light on the history of the Shi`is of Jabal`Amil in their formative years and therefore it contributes significantly to the literature on Shi`is and Shi`ism in the Arab world. - Marius Deeb, Middle East Politics, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Chalabi masterfully brings tl³"