Producing bare life in Lebanon
According to informal statistics collected at the UNRWA office in
Beirut during fieldwork, about thirty percent of Shatila's population
is non-Palestinian. The presence of Lebanese and other foreigners
such as Syrians, Egyptians and Bangladeshis in the camp urges a
reflection on the kind of biopolitics that is at stake in Lebanon. If we
follow Agamben's understanding of biopolitics e that is, the production
of bare life as a result of a legal abandonment e at first
glance the Palestinian refugees, because of their statelessness, are
the only group excluded from the protection of the state. Yet, this
understanding does not seem to capture the complexity of the
exception and exclusion as applied in Lebanon.
With regard to the Palestinians, not all of them were treated the
same way. Not all of them were forced to live in refugee camps and
were prevented integration into Lebanese society and economy.
The sectarian character of Lebanese politics played a significant role
in the ways in which Palestinians were treated. According to the
1932 census, the largest community within Lebanon was the
Producing bare life in Lebanon
According to informal statistics collected at the UNRWA office in
Beirut during fieldwork, about thirty percent of Shatila's population
is non-Palestinian. The presence of Lebanese and other foreigners
such as Syrians, Egyptians and Bangladeshis in the camp urges a
reflection on the kind of biopolitics that is at stake in Lebanon. If we
follow Agamben's understanding of biopolitics e that is, the production
of bare life as a result of a legal abandonment e at first
glance the Palestinian refugees, because of their statelessness, are
the only group excluded from the protection of the state. Yet, this
understanding does not seem to capture the complexity of the
exception and exclusion as applied in Lebanon.
With regard to the Palestinians, not all of them were treated the
same way. Not all of them were forced to live in refugee camps and
were prevented integration into Lebanese society and economy.
The sectarian character of Lebanese politics played a significant role
in the ways in which Palestinians were treated. According to the
1932 census, the largest community within Lebanon was the
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