1 / 18

Martyrs Memorials in Modern Lebanon: Representing the National through the Ethno-Religious

Martyrs Memorials in Modern Lebanon: Representing the National through the Ethno-Religious. Lucia Volk Department of Anthropology San Francisco State University. Mapping Lebanon’s Ethno-Religious Communities. Village of Qana [Cana]. Approx. 8,000 residents

mae
Download Presentation

Martyrs Memorials in Modern Lebanon: Representing the National through the Ethno-Religious

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Martyrs Memorials in Modern Lebanon:Representing the National through the Ethno-Religious Lucia Volk Department of Anthropology San Francisco State University

  2. Mapping Lebanon’s Ethno-Religious Communities

  3. Village of Qana [Cana] • Approx. 8,000 residents • Pre-Civil War about 15% Christian, 85% Muslim • Currently 3% Christian, 97% Muslim • Part of Israeli Controlled Areas (ICA) of Lebanon (1978-2000) • UNIFIL base of ~ 100 Fijian soldiers established in Qana • Few social services, intermittent electricity, understaffed municipality

  4. Qana’s New Testament Past

  5. Martyrs Memorial, Cana/Qana,South Lebanon (1997)

  6. April 18, 1996 • Israeli Operation “Grapes of Wrath” • shelling of Qana/massacre of Qana • 106 killed • images on every Arab news network • national funeral in Tyre on April 27 • “usbu‘a” gathering following week • cemetery memorial (1996) • April 18 National Holiday

  7. Qana = the third holiest site where Jesus and Muhammad meet to “dry the tears” of Qana

  8. Lebanon’s First Martyrs Memorial by Yussef Hoayek Inaugurated in downtown Beirut in 1930 under French mandate rule

  9. Beirut’s Martyrs Square, 1930s

  10. Capital Beirut • largest city in Lebanon • originally predominantly Sunni and Greek Orthodox • early 20th century influx of Maronites and Armenians • 1970s-1980s influx of Shiites • Martyrs Square, commercial, political, traffic central, drawing members of all communities

  11. May 6, 1916 • World War I • Arab nationalism • Ottoman trial of suspected Arab “traitors” • public execution of 14 in Beirut’s downtown square (Unity Square, Place des Canons) • “traitors” were Sunni, Shiite, Maronite, Greek Orthodox -> Martyrs for Independence • May 6: National Holiday

  12. Replacement of Hoayek’s Statues

  13. Making of Rafiq Hariri’s Memorial

  14. Commemorating Rafiq Hariri’s Martyrdom for Lebanon

  15. Take home messages • Ethno-religious differences can produce national identity • Shared martyrdom across ethno-religious groups as national value • Public art represents vision of Muslim-Christian parity

  16. Questions? Comments?

  17. Thank you!

More Related