Christian conservatism in Lebanese politics: MEMO in Conversation with Chloe Kattar

Middle East Monitor Conversations

Lebanon's history of civil unrest means its political landscape is based on sectarianism, which have repeatedly caused its governments to collapse and pushed the country to the brink of civil war. But how does its conservative Christian movement mould society? And how does it differ from other prominent traditional groups that have a firm grasp on the country's affairs?
Lebanon is famed for having 18 different religions, a multitude of different political parties and a large cultural and media output. However, the Mediterranean country is also characterised by a political system based on sectarianism, governments that constantly fall, terrible economic woes and the it seems to be in a permanent state of crisis. Lebanon is not isolated from the rest of the world, unlike some other states in the world in crisis, rather it is globalised and reflects wordily trends. Christian political conservatism is a key feature of the Middle Eastern country's political landscape and is both a local dynamic and heavily influenced by conservative movements across the world. But what does Christian conservatism mean and how does it compare to non-Christian traditionalism seen in groups like Hezbollah? Joining us to answer this question is Chloe Kattar.
Dr Chloe Kattar is an Early Career Leverhulme Fellow at the University of Oxford. Her project examines the links between Islamophobia and right-wing thought. Right-wing groups around the world have displayed strong anti-Islam sentiment in recent years, she seeks to rethink this connection as a global rather than a Western phenomena, by offering the first historical account of the ways in which Islamophobia became a tenet of global conservatism in past decades.
A historian by formation, Dr. Kattar obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge where she examined right-wing intellectual circles and production during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1982). Excerpts of this work have been published in academic journals such as the Historical Journal and the Arab Studies Journal and she has spoken at multiple conferences in Beirut, Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam. She was previously a lecturer in the History of the Middle East at Northumbria University.
In her spare time, she writes analysis and personal opinions on Lebanon and the Middle East on her instagram page leb.historian.