The Tobacco Farmer Uprising in the Press

Abstract

This thesis examines newspaper coverage of the tobacco farmer uprising in Nabatieh to reconstruct the Lebanese political landscape in 1973. By identifying how the newspapers frame the uprising—grant salience or obscure details to promote certain interpretations—the thesis seeks to identify the political issues that were the animating forces in public discourse at that period in Lebanese history. Examination of press coverage reveals that newspapers connected this labor protest to broader debates including those concerning the role of the security forces, economic policy, and the debate around whose interests the government serves. The thesis describes how the newspapers of left-wing parties framed the uprising as illustrative of the state’s adversarial policy towards southern communities and the working class, how right-wing government loyalist outlets framed the response of opposition parties to clashes in Nabatieh as a plot to destabilize Lebanon, and how Al-Hayat and An-Nahar, two of the most popular newspapers, framed the uprising and its fallout as evidence of government incompetence. The thesis also examines coverage of the 1973 teachers’ strike and protests in Hula to show how the newspapers connected social movements together, both explicitly and through shared frames. The thesis ends with a reflection on the insights and lacunae of examining press coverage and an examination of contemporary debates on the political significance of the tobacco farmer uprising.