In October 2019, large-scale non-sectarian protests erupted across Lebanon for three months. Lebanon has a long history of contentious popular politics, but the 2019 revolt was different. The October 2019 uprisings were exceptional for their duration, geographical breadth and depth, and the types of political unity and possibilities that they created.

The Lebanon Unsettled project, led by Dr. Deen Sharp (London School of Economics) and Dr. May Farhat (Lebanese American University), focused on the socio-spatial dynamics of the revolt and what it means to archive this social revolt.

Lebanon Unsettled engaged activists, academics, and students at USEK to undertake various archiving and analytical projects in relation to October 2019.

At UMAM, on July 6 at 7 pm, is the official launch of the Lebanon Unsettled Website, featuring interviews, historical archives, analysis, and mappings of the October 2019 revolt.

Join us to discuss the meaning and consequences of October 2019, to explore both the archive created by the Lebanon Unsettled project and the UMAM archive, and the politics of archiving in Lebanon.   

Dr. May Farhat, PhD Harvard, is a Visiting Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Lebanese American University. She is a historian of Islamic art and architecture with a focus on the early modern period. Her research interests cover the architectural history of the Middle East, with a focus on Safavid Iran and the late Ottoman visual culture in Bilad al-Sham. 

Dr. Deen Sharp, PhD CUNY, is a Visiting LSE Fellow in Human Geography & Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the Geography and Environment Department. He was previously a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the co-director of Terreform, Center for Advanced Urban Research.