“It was never ours and it will never actually be theirs” :lived experiences, social processes and conceptions of historical relevance in the 2005 independence uprisings in Lebanon -

Abstract

In this thesis, I use an oral history theoretical and methodological approach to investigate the protests and demonstrations that took place in Lebanon following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in early 2005, which became known as the Independence Uprisings. My initial interest was peaked by an observation that the March 14 political bloc in Lebanon, formed during the Uprisings in support of Syrian withdrawal, appropriated the date that had come to symbolize the climax of this mobilization of Lebanese citizens and remains one of the two major (and opposing) forces in Lebanese politics to this date. Shaping the guiding questions that my thesis seeks to explore, this observation developed into an inquiry about historical legacy and representation: How have the Uprisings been understood and represented – that is, how have they been given historical meaning and relevance? What elements of the Uprisings are dismissed when an outcome – such as the formation of the March 14 political bloc – is taken to be representative of the processes that led to its creation? More importantly, what would a more “true” or “accurate” account of the Uprisings look like? With its focus on recounting the past through the voices of history’s witnesses and makers, oral history allowed me to explore how individuals most involved in the Uprisings understand that past. I conducted ten in-depth interviews with Lebanese who had been active participants in the Uprisings, and analyzed the content of the memories they related, as well as the way in which those memories were recalled. Through the recollections of their personal experiences, respondents contribute to an understanding of the formal history of events – what actually happened, how it unfolded and what factors were relevant in the process. At the same time, as only oral history can uncover, these memories reflect the social and cultural context in which the Uprisings took place, and the influence that