In the Shadow of Sectarianism: Law, Shi'ism, and the Making of Modern Lebanon (review)

The religious, political, legal, and cultural landscape of modern Lebanon is especially diverse and complex, as any student of the Middle East is well aware. To non-specialists, the origins and dynamics of the sectarian conflicts that seem to constantly simmer and often erupt into violence in that country appear attributable to the basic incompatibility of the various groups and factions within it, especially between Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Christians. Yet the importance of Lebanon to and the impact of its recent crises on the Middle East as a whole warrant a deeper understanding of the history and nature of these conflicts. This study, which focuses on the acquisition of identity and power by the Lebanese Shi'ite communities of southern Lebanon (the Jabal 'Amil) in the mid-20^th century, offers an historical analysis that contributes substantially to such an understanding.

Throughout the book, the author integrates case studies and historical documents that focus on Shi'ite law and courts into an analytical framework consisting of sectarianism in general and the specific evolution of Lebanon from French colonial mandate into a modern independent country. There are two themes at play here: how Shi'ite law (the Ja'fari school of Islamic law) became officially recognized and institutionalized, at least in the realm of personal status, by the French and Lebanese authorities, and how this process both reflected and contributed to an increasingly distinct and influential Shi'ite sectarian identity within the country. The author is particularly adept at weaving specific examples of this process — petitions by prominent Shi'ite leaders to gain recognition for Ja'fari law, cases heard by the Ja'fari court after its establishment in 1926, resistance to and revolts against French colonial and Lebanese government officialdom — into a narrative that illuminates without oversimplifying the complex growth of sectarianism that characterizes Lebanon today.

Each chapter of the book reflects these two themes. The lengthy 37-page prologue introduces the concept of sectarianism, and notes that paradoxically the Lebanese Shi'ites gained power and recognition within, and thus contributed to, a developing Lebanese national identity, while concurrently acquiring an increasingly separate sectarian identity. The following six chapters trace the uneven development (progress would be a misleading word in this case) of this process. The activities of prominent community leaders, especially the Shi'ite jurists [mujtahids] and later the judges of the Ja'fari court, the procedures of that court, the role of Shi'ite rituals such as the 'Ashura commemorations, and the assertion of legal claims described in the judicial records of cases are all discussed in detail, without losing sight of their impact on the broader themes of the book. In the epilogue, the author asserts that the power of the Shi'ites in Lebanon today is not a new phenomenon brought about by the recent civil war and outside (Iranian) influence, but reflects a continuing evolution of Shi'ite sectarian identity that has its roots in the past century. He also claims that despite appearances of a single, radical Shi'ite hegemony that currently dominates the Lebanese political scene, Shi'ism in Lebanon continues to evolve in a dialectical and multifaceted relationship to the Lebanese state. These claims are convincingly supported by the history that this book lays out.

The author's writing is clear, if on occasion repetitive, though that can be helpful in a study of a difficult concept such as sectarianism. The notes to the text are extensive and detailed, and the bibliography is very thorough. On the whole, this is a satisfying work that will add to the reader's understanding and provide valuable resources for further study of sectarianism, Shi'ism, and the modern Lebanese state.