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When the state is (n)ever present: on cynicism and political mobilization in Lebanon
Author(s) -
Hermez Sami
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of the royal anthropological institute
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1467-9655
pISSN - 1359-0987
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9655.12249
Subject(s) - cynicism , mobilization , politics , state (computer science) , political mobilization , political science , ethnography , political action , resistance (ecology) , political economy , action (physics) , work (physics) , sociology , law , anthropology , mechanical engineering , ecology , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science , biology , engineering
This article looks at the way cynical reasoning consumes political action in Lebanon. Through ethnographic observations with political activists and former militia fighters, specifically during the final days of the 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections, I show how cynicism is present in political mobilization. I argue that political mobilization moves between modes of cynicism and resistance, calling on us to see these two postures as discursively related. This work has broader implications for understanding political reactions and mobilizations in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab revolts.