Sunni City: Tripoli from Islamist Utopia to the Lebanese 'Revolution'

Tripoli, Lebanon's Sunni City, is often portrayed as an Islamist or Jihadi city, but Tine Gade's book reveals a more complex history of resistance and collaboration with the state and the wider region. She argues that Lebanese clientelism and the decay of the state produced the rise of violent Islamist movements, offering an alternative explanation for the city's political troubles.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Tripoli, a Sunni city in Lebanon, is frequently portrayed as an Islamist or even Jihadi city. However, this misleading label obscures a far more complex history of resistance and collaboration with the state and the broader region. Tine Gade, through extensive fieldwork and analysis of primary sources, delves into the modern history of Tripoli, exploring its contentious politics, fluid political identity, and the dynamics between Islamist and sectarian groups. Instead of solely attributing Tripoli's decades of political turmoil to Islamic radicalism, Gade offers an alternative explanation by highlighting Lebanese clientelism and the decline of the state as the primary factors that contributed to the rise of violent Islamist movements in the city. By challenging previous assumptions, this book not only deepens our understanding of Lebanese politics but also sheds light on the broader religious and political dynamics in the Middle East.

Tripoli, a Sunni city in Lebanon, is frequently portrayed as an Islamist or even Jihadi city. However, this misleading label obscures a far more complex history of resistance and collaboration with the state and the broader region. Tine Gade, through extensive fieldwork and analysis of primary sources, delves into the modern history of Tripoli, exploring its contentious politics, fluid political identity, and the dynamics between Islamist and sectarian groups. Instead of solely attributing Tripoli's decades of political turmoil to Islamic radicalism, Gade offers an alternative explanation by highlighting Lebanese clientelism and the decline of the state as the primary factors that contributed to the rise of violent Islamist movements in the city. By challenging previous assumptions, this book not only deepens our understanding of Lebanese politics but also sheds light on the broader religious and political dynamics in the Middle East.

Weight: 620g
ISBN-13: 9781009222761