Experiences of Maronite Membership - An Ethnographic Study of Family and Community Integration

Abstract

This thesis seeks to unpack sentiments of belonging and exclusion within the parameters of Lebanese Christian families and community. As a result, topics within the themes of kinship, inclusion, responsibility, security, religious identity, and solidarity are explored. The objective of this study is to explore whether instances of racism, xenophobia, and sexism are a necessary condition or accidental circumstance of Lebanese Christian community preservation and development. With this objective in mind, this thesis aims to understand (1) the relationship between sectarian identity and family expectations, upbringing, and morals (2) the spectrum of unconscious to deliberate processes of othering (3) the threat and fear associated with exclusion from belonging to Christian communities, as well as (4) the effects of rejecting social norms and family expectations. The data presented in this thesis is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted sporadically between the years 2020 to 2024. As a result, this thesis presents a nuanced perspective of the COVID19 pandemic and lockdown period, economic crisis and nationwide electricity shortages, as well as the emergence of right-wing alternative security groups in the historically Christian-majority neighborhood of Ashrafieh in Beirut.