Consociationalism and State-Society Relations in Lebanon

Abstract

Power-sharing arrangements between the elites of the dominant ethnic communities have been the preferred form of conflict management in post-conflict divided societies. The literature on the impact of power-sharing has often been dominated by macro-level analysis that places the main focus on elites and ethnic communities. However, there is only so much this can tell us about state-society relations and interactions. This thesis will focus on the missing individual micro-level analysis, through a case study of Lebanon – a country with a power-sharing model that is based on a deeply embedded political confessionalism. It will aim to examine how power-sharing has affected micro-level state-society relations in Lebanon, more specifically how it has contributed to the significant gap that exists in understanding individual’s perceptions and relations to the state and the dynamics that shape this. Part of this study will also assess whether identities remain firmly sectarian-based, as continuously claimed in the early literature/studies, or if there is a shift in identities and new social forces.