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Paper short abstract:

What I hope to bring to the workshop is a novel and nuanced understanding of the context specific challenges of women's groups in Lebanon as they try to further their demands in a constricted sextarian political system

Paper long abstract:

The matrix of deep-rooted social, political, sectarian, and patriarchal structures in

Lebanon necessitates the introduction of a nuanced understanding of “backlash” that

veers away from the notion’s definitions that apply mostly in Western contexts.

This paper proposes a contextualised definition of backlash for Lebanon, and frames

it by unpacking the structural flaws in the very way society is constructed, and in

power relations within the country’s familial structures.

It also discusses the different forms of anti-feminist backlash observed in the country

over the past few years, focusing on three axes: systemic violence, tactical backlash,

and atomised backlash. Explored through case studies ranging from the hostile

sectarian system against women in politics, to radical religious groups, this paper

explores how backlash in this context diverges from the conceptualisations of

backlash in existing literature.