When the state is (n)ever present: On cynicism and political mobilization in Lebanon

Abstract

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.