ECTS : 6
Description du contenu de l'enseignement :
Course description and objectives
More than thirty years after its foundation, Lebanese Hezbollah remains an organization difficult to understand. An Islamist terrorist group dedicated to destroying Israel or the first Arab national Resistance to have ever defeated Tel-Aviv's troops, a patriotic and respectable party or a fascist network having managed to control all levers of Lebanese political life... what exactly is Hezbollah? How did it acquire such an important role in Lebanese politics? How are the latest socio-political transformations of the Middle East affecting it, and how does it impact the Middle East in return?
This class has three purposes.
(1) It first gives an articulated definition of Hezbollah, presenting a thorough history of the party, describing its well-built internal structure, and the large scope of its social and political action;
(2) It then explains the evolution of the party's mobilization;
(3) Finally, it illustrates another path, political but mainly identity-related, that of the Shiite community, today the main constituent of Lebanese society.
Compétence à acquérir :
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the students enrolled will have an advanced understanding of
(1) Hezbollah’s nature, goals, practices and history,
(2) the notion of militancy in contexts of violence,
(3) the main differences between major Islamic and jihadist movements,
(4) a critical notion of foreign intervention, peacemaking, peacebuilding, state building, reconciliation, and transitional justice.
Mode de contrôle des connaissances :
Assignments and grading
Grading is as follows: participation (10%) – book reports (2*30% = 60%) – final exam (40%).
Each student is expected to submit two book reports. Each paper, of 2 000 words, should not only summarize the content of the assigned text, but also—and more importantly—assess the author’s arguments critically, draw out the reading’s relevance to the themes of the course.
The final exam – writing a paper on a subject chosen among two possible choices submitted by the instructor (3h exam) will take place at the end of the semester. The grading will be based on the quality of the quality of the analysis, and the relevance of the examples used to illustrate the argument.
The numerical grade distribution will dictate the final grade. The passing grade for a course is 10/20.
Class participation: Active class participation – this is what makes classes lively and instructive. Come on time and prepared. Class participation is based on quality of comments, not quantity.
Exam policy: In the exam, students will not be allowed to bring any document (except if allowed by the lecturer). Unexcused absences from exams or failure to submit cases will result in zero grades in the calculation of numerical averages. Exams are collected at the end of examination periods.
Bibliographie, lectures recommandées :
Bibliography
For an introduction to the Lebanese historical and political universe, see:
- SALIBI, Kamal, A House of Many Mansions, University of California Press, 1990, 247 p.;
– TRABOULSI, Fawwaz, A History of Modern Lebanon, Pluto Press, 2012.
They should be complemented with:
- HANF, Theodor, Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon, London, Tauris, 2013, 712 p.
- FISK, Robert, Pity the Nation, New York, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2002, 752 p.
- HAUGBOLLE, Sune, War and Memory in Lebanon, Cambridge University Press, 2012, 280 p.
- SCHIFF, Ze’ev, YA’ARI, Ehoud, Israel’s Lebanon War, Simon and Schuster, 1985, 320 p.
For the events of 2005 and onwards:
- YOUNG, Michael, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square, Simon & Schuster, 2010, 336 p.
- BLANDFORD, Nicholas, Killing Mr. Lebanon, IB Tauris, 2006, 544 p.
On Hezbollah:
- DAHER Aurélie, Hezbollah. Mobilization and Power, Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2019
– HAMZEH, Nizar, In the Path of Hizbullah, Syracuse University Press, 2004, 242 p.
- NORTON, Augustus Richard, Hezbollah. A Short Story, Princeton University Press, 2007, 216 p.
- PALMER HARIK, Judith, Hezbollah. The Changing Face of Terrorism, I.B. Tauris, 2004, 256 p.
And for an internal presentation by the party’s vice-secretary general:
- QASSEM, Naim, Hizbullah. The Story from Within, Saqi Books, 2010, 464 p.
Lebanese news can be followed by reading the dailies (English versions):
- Al-Nahar (naharnet): pro-March 14 - The Daily Star: pro-March 14 - al-Akhbar: pro-March 8
- as-Safir: Leftist.