Paul Tabar
Biographic Data
| ID | 379492 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Paul Tabar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Paul |
| FAMILY NAME | Tabar |
| SIGNATURE | TABAR P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Lebanese American University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2755-4164 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 63 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Toxic Gender Essentialism: Normalising Far-Right Orientations in Gender, Sexuality, and Race Relations’
This is the introduction to a special section we co-edited
Lebanese diaspora and the October 17 Uprising
This article examines the Lebanese home‐diaspora relationship and its contribution to the dynamics of the political system in Lebanon. This relationship is explored in the context of the October 17 Uprising which was a transnational event whereby Lebanese at home and abroad were actively engaged in its awakening and repercussions. The authors argue that this relationship is a two‐way relationship in which both home and diasporic actors mutually c…
Memory Building and Istitba’ in Divided Societies
This paper studies collective memory in divided societies. To do so, we begin by studying national memory in civil societies, where the nature of this memory is hegemonic. We use Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explain national memories in civil societies and differentiate it from that of contested memories in divided places. In order to explain memory in divided societies, we apply Ibn Khaldoun’s concepts of ‘aAsabiyah and Istitba’. Societies d…
Transnational is not diasporic: A Bourdieusian approach to the study of modern diaspora
Given the apparent similarities to transnational activities, diasporic activities, processes and actors are often the first victims of the conceptual curse of transnationalism, resulting in the glossing over of particularities in the diaspora field which, if studied separately, would have important analytical consequences for migration studies. Failure to introduce viable options for differentiating between two (very) different sets of activities…
National versus Communal Memory in Lebanon
The aim of this article is to distinguish between two levels of collective memory in Lebanon: the national memory, which is a very weak and fragile memory, and the communal memory of sectarian groups. Each community in Lebanon enjoys a memory of its own, which it tries to elevate to the national memory, but at the same time intra-sectarian groups contest their internal memories with others. Hence, we see that communities try to force the state to…
Studying abroad: A necessary path towards a successful academic career in social sciences in Lebanon
Scholars have only recently started to take an interest in the return of highly qualified migrants to their country of origin, especially when it comes to Arab countries. This research, conducted between 2014 and 2016, provides evidence on the Lebanese case, a country where most social scientists have been trained abroad. This article uses a multi-level approach and compares careers paths of social scientists trained in Lebanon and abroad, workin…
Wounded Detachments: Cronulla, Social Memory and the Injuries of Racism
More than a decade since the Cronulla Riots, it could be argued that we are none the wiser about what they meant. Frequently evoked in public discourse, ‘Cronulla’ has become a benchmark for the worst of Australian society (whether that is seen as racism or multiculturalism). This paper reflects upon the representation of the Riots to explore three key ideas. First, we need to think about Cronulla through an exploration of the situated processes …
Bourdieu in Beirut: Wasta , the State and Social Reproduction in Lebanon
This article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory to analyze the relation between the Lebanese state and the reproduction of unequal power relations, in particular through the phenomenon of wasta (an Arabic word referring to the use of connections to obtain scarce goods or services). We attempt to demonstrate how social reproduction in Lebanon has come to rely on the clandestine exchange of certain symbolic and material resources, exemplified in practic…
The Lebanese diasporic field: The impact of sending and receiving states
What is a diaspora? Can it be distinguished from a ‘transnational community’? This paper discusses the Lebanese migrants abroad and their relationships with Lebanon by deploying the Bourdieusian concept of ‘field’. It argues that Bourdieu’s concept of field helps to capture the dynamic character of diasporic relations and the power relations that underpin them. It also enables the researcher to better delineate the boundary of a diasporic communi…
Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian Communities in the World
Strong in Their Weakness or Weak in Their Strength? The Case of Lebanese Diaspora Engagement with Lebanon
This paper seeks to assess when and how the Lebanese Diaspora in Australia, Canada and the USA is most able to affect homeland affairs in Lebanon. Drawing on over 300 in-depth interviews and analysing literature on the Lebanese Diaspora and Lebanon itself, the article seeks to categorise the spectrum of diaspora engagement with Lebanon and more fully define the diaspora's homeland participation. Tentative conclusions indicate that the Lebanese Di…
Political Remittances: The Case of Lebanese Expatriates Voting in National Elections
This paper examines a particular event that occurred in Australia within the Australian-Lebanese community: it is the political mobilisation of a substantial number of this community to participate in the general elections that took place in Lebanon in June 2009. This event is analysed by looking into the various components of what we call ‘the Lebanese diasporic public sphere’. It is argued that this diasporic public sphere generates different p…
Democratic transition and sectarian populism: The case of Lebanon
Despite being considered as one of the oldest constitutional democracies in the Middle East, Lebanon has been confronted with periodical institutional crises and civil violence. A protracted transitional period towards democracy has threatened the autonomy of deeply fragmented sectarian groups, and has instigated a polarizing struggle over nationhood. Fearing the degradation of their power to a majoritarian order, sectarian leaders have resorted …
Spiritual Authority versus Secular Authority: Relations between the Maronite Church and the State in Postwar Lebanon: 1990–2005
Consociational Democracy and Urban Sustainability: Transforming the Confessional Divides in Beirut
Is ‘consociational democracy’ a sustainable working model for deeply divided societies? Despite its relative success in Lebanon, rapid urbanization has presented serious challenges to the rigid confessional power-sharing arrangement. In the city of Beirut, confessionalism, which is closely associated with urbanization, has led to the polarization, rather than the moderation, of sectarian divides. The results of an opinion survey conducted by the …
"Habiibs"in Australia: Language, Identity and Masculinity
Tackling the phenomenon of using Arabic words by second-generation Lebanese-Australians when conversing in English, and reading it culturally and sociologically, constitutes the primary aim of this article. In so doing, this paper concentrates on a number of spoken Arabic words with particular emphasis on the word "habiib", and shows the relationship between these linguistic constructs and the boundary construction of the embattled identity of th…
The Cultural and Affective Logic of theDabki: A Study of a Lebanese Folkloric Dance in Australia
The dabki is a folkloric dance enacted by Lebanese migrants in Australia. This paper examines this dance and shows that it is invested with many issues pertaining to the harsh realities of Lebanese migrants in Australia. In doing so, it criticises the reified understanding of the dabki that reduces it to a mere spectacle and a metaphor for Lebanese identity. Our analysis of the dabki shows the irreducible complexity of this cultural practice deri…
The rise and falter of the field of ethnic politics in Australia: The case of Lebanese community leadership
Since the advent of multiculturalism in Australia in the 1970s, ‘ethnicity’ has acquired not only cultural and social importance, but significant political consequences as groups mobilised around ‘ethnic communities’ and as the State increasingly structured social policy around cultural differences. The political patronage and funding central to Australian multiculturalism led to the development of organisations and leaders whose task was not onl…
Ashura in Sydney: A transformation of a religious ceremony in the context of a migrant society
'Ashura is a Shi'i religious ceremony organised yearly by the Moslem Shi'is around the world. The Shi'is in Sydney have been commemorating 'Ashura in an increasingly elaborate and sophisticated manner. The aim of this paper is to examine the formal and symbolic transformation of the ceremony in the context of migration and in particular the way it comes to articulate elements of the "migrant conditions". Along with its highly dramatic content, 'A…
Intersections’ of Masculinity and Ethnicity: A study of male Lebanese immigrant youth in western Sydney
This article reports on an ethnographic study of teenage male secondary school students of Arabic‐speaking background in a working‐class suburb of Sydney. Interviews with friendship groups of migrant young men explored their identity formation in terms of ethnicity and masculinity. Their ‘intersections’ of masculinity and ethnicity, along with class relations, exhibit ‘contradictory consciousness’ characteristic of the ‘common sense’ of the socia…
Political Remittances: The Case of Lebanese Expatriates Voting in National Elections
This paper examines a particular event that occurred in Australia within the Australian-Lebanese community: it is the political mobilisation of a substantial number of this community to participate in the general elections that took place in Lebanon in June 2009. This event is analysed by looking into the various components of what we call ‘the Lebanese diasporic public sphere’. It is argued that this diasporic public sphere generates different p…
Bourdieu in Beirut: Wasta , the State and Social Reproduction in Lebanon
This article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory to analyze the relation between the Lebanese state and the reproduction of unequal power relations, in particular through the phenomenon of wasta (an Arabic word referring to the use of connections to obtain scarce goods or services). We attempt to demonstrate how social reproduction in Lebanon has come to rely on the clandestine exchange of certain symbolic and material resources, exemplified in practic…
Intersections’ of Masculinity and Ethnicity: A study of male Lebanese immigrant youth in western Sydney
This article reports on an ethnographic study of teenage male secondary school students of Arabic‐speaking background in a working‐class suburb of Sydney. Interviews with friendship groups of migrant young men explored their identity formation in terms of ethnicity and masculinity. Their ‘intersections’ of masculinity and ethnicity, along with class relations, exhibit ‘contradictory consciousness’ characteristic of the ‘common sense’ of the socia…
Democratic transition and sectarian populism: The case of Lebanon
Despite being considered as one of the oldest constitutional democracies in the Middle East, Lebanon has been confronted with periodical institutional crises and civil violence. A protracted transitional period towards democracy has threatened the autonomy of deeply fragmented sectarian groups, and has instigated a polarizing struggle over nationhood. Fearing the degradation of their power to a majoritarian order, sectarian leaders have resorted …
The rise and falter of the field of ethnic politics in Australia: The case of Lebanese community leadership
Since the advent of multiculturalism in Australia in the 1970s, ‘ethnicity’ has acquired not only cultural and social importance, but significant political consequences as groups mobilised around ‘ethnic communities’ and as the State increasingly structured social policy around cultural differences. The political patronage and funding central to Australian multiculturalism led to the development of organisations and leaders whose task was not onl…
Consociational Democracy and Urban Sustainability: Transforming the Confessional Divides in Beirut
Is ‘consociational democracy’ a sustainable working model for deeply divided societies? Despite its relative success in Lebanon, rapid urbanization has presented serious challenges to the rigid confessional power-sharing arrangement. In the city of Beirut, confessionalism, which is closely associated with urbanization, has led to the polarization, rather than the moderation, of sectarian divides. The results of an opinion survey conducted by the …
Strong in Their Weakness or Weak in Their Strength? The Case of Lebanese Diaspora Engagement with Lebanon
This paper seeks to assess when and how the Lebanese Diaspora in Australia, Canada and the USA is most able to affect homeland affairs in Lebanon. Drawing on over 300 in-depth interviews and analysing literature on the Lebanese Diaspora and Lebanon itself, the article seeks to categorise the spectrum of diaspora engagement with Lebanon and more fully define the diaspora's homeland participation. Tentative conclusions indicate that the Lebanese Di…
Spiritual Authority versus Secular Authority: Relations between the Maronite Church and the State in Postwar Lebanon: 1990–2005
Ashura in Sydney: A transformation of a religious ceremony in the context of a migrant society
'Ashura is a Shi'i religious ceremony organised yearly by the Moslem Shi'is around the world. The Shi'is in Sydney have been commemorating 'Ashura in an increasingly elaborate and sophisticated manner. The aim of this paper is to examine the formal and symbolic transformation of the ceremony in the context of migration and in particular the way it comes to articulate elements of the "migrant conditions". Along with its highly dramatic content, 'A…
"Habiibs"in Australia: Language, Identity and Masculinity
Tackling the phenomenon of using Arabic words by second-generation Lebanese-Australians when conversing in English, and reading it culturally and sociologically, constitutes the primary aim of this article. In so doing, this paper concentrates on a number of spoken Arabic words with particular emphasis on the word "habiib", and shows the relationship between these linguistic constructs and the boundary construction of the embattled identity of th…
The Cultural and Affective Logic of theDabki: A Study of a Lebanese Folkloric Dance in Australia
The dabki is a folkloric dance enacted by Lebanese migrants in Australia. This paper examines this dance and shows that it is invested with many issues pertaining to the harsh realities of Lebanese migrants in Australia. In doing so, it criticises the reified understanding of the dabki that reduces it to a mere spectacle and a metaphor for Lebanese identity. Our analysis of the dabki shows the irreducible complexity of this cultural practice deri…
Transnational is not diasporic: A Bourdieusian approach to the study of modern diaspora
Given the apparent similarities to transnational activities, diasporic activities, processes and actors are often the first victims of the conceptual curse of transnationalism, resulting in the glossing over of particularities in the diaspora field which, if studied separately, would have important analytical consequences for migration studies. Failure to introduce viable options for differentiating between two (very) different sets of activities…
National versus Communal Memory in Lebanon
The aim of this article is to distinguish between two levels of collective memory in Lebanon: the national memory, which is a very weak and fragile memory, and the communal memory of sectarian groups. Each community in Lebanon enjoys a memory of its own, which it tries to elevate to the national memory, but at the same time intra-sectarian groups contest their internal memories with others. Hence, we see that communities try to force the state to…
Studying abroad: A necessary path towards a successful academic career in social sciences in Lebanon
Scholars have only recently started to take an interest in the return of highly qualified migrants to their country of origin, especially when it comes to Arab countries. This research, conducted between 2014 and 2016, provides evidence on the Lebanese case, a country where most social scientists have been trained abroad. This article uses a multi-level approach and compares careers paths of social scientists trained in Lebanon and abroad, workin…
Wounded Detachments: Cronulla, Social Memory and the Injuries of Racism
More than a decade since the Cronulla Riots, it could be argued that we are none the wiser about what they meant. Frequently evoked in public discourse, ‘Cronulla’ has become a benchmark for the worst of Australian society (whether that is seen as racism or multiculturalism). This paper reflects upon the representation of the Riots to explore three key ideas. First, we need to think about Cronulla through an exploration of the situated processes …
The Lebanese diasporic field: The impact of sending and receiving states
What is a diaspora? Can it be distinguished from a ‘transnational community’? This paper discusses the Lebanese migrants abroad and their relationships with Lebanon by deploying the Bourdieusian concept of ‘field’. It argues that Bourdieu’s concept of field helps to capture the dynamic character of diasporic relations and the power relations that underpin them. It also enables the researcher to better delineate the boundary of a diasporic communi…
Intersections’ of Masculinity and Ethnicity: A study of male Lebanese immigrant youth in western Sydney
This article reports on an ethnographic study of teenage male secondary school students of Arabic‐speaking background in a working‐class suburb of Sydney. Interviews with friendship groups of migrant young men explored their identity formation in terms of ethnicity and masculinity. Their ‘intersections’ of masculinity and ethnicity, along with class relations, exhibit ‘contradictory consciousness’ characteristic of the ‘common sense’ of the socia…
Ashura in Sydney: A transformation of a religious ceremony in the context of a migrant society
'Ashura is a Shi'i religious ceremony organised yearly by the Moslem Shi'is around the world. The Shi'is in Sydney have been commemorating 'Ashura in an increasingly elaborate and sophisticated manner. The aim of this paper is to examine the formal and symbolic transformation of the ceremony in the context of migration and in particular the way it comes to articulate elements of the "migrant conditions". Along with its highly dramatic content, 'A…
The rise and falter of the field of ethnic politics in Australia: The case of Lebanese community leadership
Since the advent of multiculturalism in Australia in the 1970s, ‘ethnicity’ has acquired not only cultural and social importance, but significant political consequences as groups mobilised around ‘ethnic communities’ and as the State increasingly structured social policy around cultural differences. The political patronage and funding central to Australian multiculturalism led to the development of organisations and leaders whose task was not onl…
The Cultural and Affective Logic of theDabki: A Study of a Lebanese Folkloric Dance in Australia
The dabki is a folkloric dance enacted by Lebanese migrants in Australia. This paper examines this dance and shows that it is invested with many issues pertaining to the harsh realities of Lebanese migrants in Australia. In doing so, it criticises the reified understanding of the dabki that reduces it to a mere spectacle and a metaphor for Lebanese identity. Our analysis of the dabki shows the irreducible complexity of this cultural practice deri…
"Habiibs"in Australia: Language, Identity and Masculinity
Tackling the phenomenon of using Arabic words by second-generation Lebanese-Australians when conversing in English, and reading it culturally and sociologically, constitutes the primary aim of this article. In so doing, this paper concentrates on a number of spoken Arabic words with particular emphasis on the word "habiib", and shows the relationship between these linguistic constructs and the boundary construction of the embattled identity of th…
Consociational Democracy and Urban Sustainability: Transforming the Confessional Divides in Beirut
Is ‘consociational democracy’ a sustainable working model for deeply divided societies? Despite its relative success in Lebanon, rapid urbanization has presented serious challenges to the rigid confessional power-sharing arrangement. In the city of Beirut, confessionalism, which is closely associated with urbanization, has led to the polarization, rather than the moderation, of sectarian divides. The results of an opinion survey conducted by the …
Spiritual Authority versus Secular Authority: Relations between the Maronite Church and the State in Postwar Lebanon: 1990–2005
Democratic transition and sectarian populism: The case of Lebanon
Despite being considered as one of the oldest constitutional democracies in the Middle East, Lebanon has been confronted with periodical institutional crises and civil violence. A protracted transitional period towards democracy has threatened the autonomy of deeply fragmented sectarian groups, and has instigated a polarizing struggle over nationhood. Fearing the degradation of their power to a majoritarian order, sectarian leaders have resorted …
Political Remittances: The Case of Lebanese Expatriates Voting in National Elections
This paper examines a particular event that occurred in Australia within the Australian-Lebanese community: it is the political mobilisation of a substantial number of this community to participate in the general elections that took place in Lebanon in June 2009. This event is analysed by looking into the various components of what we call ‘the Lebanese diasporic public sphere’. It is argued that this diasporic public sphere generates different p…
Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian Communities in the World
Strong in Their Weakness or Weak in Their Strength? The Case of Lebanese Diaspora Engagement with Lebanon
This paper seeks to assess when and how the Lebanese Diaspora in Australia, Canada and the USA is most able to affect homeland affairs in Lebanon. Drawing on over 300 in-depth interviews and analysing literature on the Lebanese Diaspora and Lebanon itself, the article seeks to categorise the spectrum of diaspora engagement with Lebanon and more fully define the diaspora's homeland participation. Tentative conclusions indicate that the Lebanese Di…
Bourdieu in Beirut: Wasta , the State and Social Reproduction in Lebanon
This article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory to analyze the relation between the Lebanese state and the reproduction of unequal power relations, in particular through the phenomenon of wasta (an Arabic word referring to the use of connections to obtain scarce goods or services). We attempt to demonstrate how social reproduction in Lebanon has come to rely on the clandestine exchange of certain symbolic and material resources, exemplified in practic…
The Lebanese diasporic field: The impact of sending and receiving states
What is a diaspora? Can it be distinguished from a ‘transnational community’? This paper discusses the Lebanese migrants abroad and their relationships with Lebanon by deploying the Bourdieusian concept of ‘field’. It argues that Bourdieu’s concept of field helps to capture the dynamic character of diasporic relations and the power relations that underpin them. It also enables the researcher to better delineate the boundary of a diasporic communi…
Wounded Detachments: Cronulla, Social Memory and the Injuries of Racism
More than a decade since the Cronulla Riots, it could be argued that we are none the wiser about what they meant. Frequently evoked in public discourse, ‘Cronulla’ has become a benchmark for the worst of Australian society (whether that is seen as racism or multiculturalism). This paper reflects upon the representation of the Riots to explore three key ideas. First, we need to think about Cronulla through an exploration of the situated processes …
National versus Communal Memory in Lebanon
The aim of this article is to distinguish between two levels of collective memory in Lebanon: the national memory, which is a very weak and fragile memory, and the communal memory of sectarian groups. Each community in Lebanon enjoys a memory of its own, which it tries to elevate to the national memory, but at the same time intra-sectarian groups contest their internal memories with others. Hence, we see that communities try to force the state to…
Studying abroad: A necessary path towards a successful academic career in social sciences in Lebanon
Scholars have only recently started to take an interest in the return of highly qualified migrants to their country of origin, especially when it comes to Arab countries. This research, conducted between 2014 and 2016, provides evidence on the Lebanese case, a country where most social scientists have been trained abroad. This article uses a multi-level approach and compares careers paths of social scientists trained in Lebanon and abroad, workin…
Transnational is not diasporic: A Bourdieusian approach to the study of modern diaspora
Given the apparent similarities to transnational activities, diasporic activities, processes and actors are often the first victims of the conceptual curse of transnationalism, resulting in the glossing over of particularities in the diaspora field which, if studied separately, would have important analytical consequences for migration studies. Failure to introduce viable options for differentiating between two (very) different sets of activities…
Memory Building and Istitba’ in Divided Societies
This paper studies collective memory in divided societies. To do so, we begin by studying national memory in civil societies, where the nature of this memory is hegemonic. We use Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explain national memories in civil societies and differentiate it from that of contested memories in divided places. In order to explain memory in divided societies, we apply Ibn Khaldoun’s concepts of ‘aAsabiyah and Istitba’. Societies d…
Lebanese diaspora and the October 17 Uprising
This article examines the Lebanese home‐diaspora relationship and its contribution to the dynamics of the political system in Lebanon. This relationship is explored in the context of the October 17 Uprising which was a transnational event whereby Lebanese at home and abroad were actively engaged in its awakening and repercussions. The authors argue that this relationship is a two‐way relationship in which both home and diasporic actors mutually c…
Toxic Gender Essentialism: Normalising Far-Right Orientations in Gender, Sexuality, and Race Relations’
This is the introduction to a special section we co-edited
Sociology (17 works) · Political science (16 works) · Law (13 works) · Politics (12 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity (8 works) · Law (8 works) · Middle East Politics and Society (8 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (6 works) · Political economy (6 works)