In October 2019, mass peaceful protests spontaneously erupted against the sectarian elite and the political system in Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of protestors from all walks of life demanded an end to rampant corruption and persistent clientelism that have exacerbated the economic struggles in the country. The protests gave hope to those seeking change, as they transcended sectarian identities and socioeconomic statuses. After several months, however, the protests became less frequent and their size decreased. Although new governments have been formed as a result of these protests, no reforms have been implemented. But as the economic situation worsens for most Lebanese, with over half of the Lebanese population currently living in poverty, social movements to topple the consociational democratic regimes will likely reignite and become more powerful in the near future. This paper examines the resilience of the Lebanese regime against the October 2019 protest movement and the factors impeding prospects of political reform and change. By building on the notions of constructive resistance and infrapolitics, the paper also inspects the possible modes of non-violent direct action and civil resistance that activists and social movements can utilize to influence change and reforms following the stagnation of the protests and their inability to be effective. Dubbed by James C. Scott, “infrapolitics” refers to the strategies of resistance that oppressed groups use without being detected by dominant groups. The concept of “constructive resistance” entails the ability to form new societies while simultaneously resisting oppressive regimes and challenging dominant discourses. It is a form of direct action that contrasts activism through protests seeking to force leaders or the state to make the change. Albeit engendering a slow transformation of values, this form of dissent is deemed the most powerful method of resistance. The paper concludes that as protests have demonstrated their ineffectiveness in forcing politicians to reform the political systems, other means and strategies of civil resistance and infrapolitics need to be examined for future activism in Lebanon.
Middle East/Near East Studies