Shaping Lebanon's Borderlands

Daniel Meier is Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Lebanese Studies at the Middle East Centre, St Antony s. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva."

'Shaping Lebanon's Borderlands examines a tiny patch of the earth's surface but one of immense contemporary significance. This is the borderland of Southern Lebanon - that unmarked boundary between Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Meier draws upon his deep understanding of Palestinian-Lebanese relationships to inform this intelligent and intriguing study of the political relationships between space and identity in the limited territory of Southern Lebanon. This book is of tremendous importance in understanding the complex relationships of the Lebanese people with four major actors: Palestine refugees in Lebanon; Hizbollah; the UN military presence in the area (UNIFIL); and the Lebanese state. These relationships and the nature of bordering will become critically important to understanding the post Arab Uprising era to come.' - Dawn Chatty, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration, University of Oxford, '... a comprehensive study on a region that since the 1970s has been the most volatile frontline of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. It is essential reading not only for students of the modern Middle East but also for those who are interested in border dynamics worldwide, in militant non-state actors and in identity construction in conflict zones.' - Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 'Reading Shaping Lebanon's Borderlands was like navigating uncharted waters. Spatial issues, as they inextricably linked with sovereignty and national self-understanding, are analyzed in a new light. The book recapitulates eloquently how various narratives were constructed.' - Tarek Mitri, Director of Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut

• Introduction: South Lebanon as a Vantage Point, 1923-2013Chapter 1: The Fedayeen in Lebanon: Armed Struggle, Symbols and BelongingChapter 2: Hizbullah: Resistance as an Identity and as a MeansChapter 3: The Struggle for the South: Israeli Occupation and Lebanese ResistanceChapter 4: Using the Borderland: Hizbullah’s Socio-Political and Cultural StrategyChapter 5: Crossing/Bypassing the Border: Palestinian Civil Resistance (Sumud)Chapter 6: Hegemony over Geography: UNIFIL and the Drawing of the Blue LineChapter 7: The Pending Issues in the Southern Borderland: Maritime and Aerial BordersConclusion