“We are all Hizbullah now”: narrating the Party of God

Hamdar, Abir

Abstract

This essay is the first examination of the literary output of the Lebanese political party and militia Hizbullah. It examines a series of little-known fiction and non-fiction texts including novels, memoirs and autobiographies by Hizbullah fighters, supporters and sympathisers. At the same time, it seeks to place such Hizbullah narratives within the context not only of the Party’s media strategy but of the publishing industry in Lebanon more widely. The essay also argues that Hizbullah narratives consistently explore a cluster of key themes including the Karbala tragedy, Anti-Zionism and, in particular, the “infitah” or “Lebanonisation” of the Party. In conclusion, the essay argues that narratives of Hizbullah reflect the Party’s own gradual evolution over its 30-year existence from a purely sectarian group to a broader resistance movement that attracts support from across the religious and political spectrum.

Citation

Hamdar, A. (2014). “We are all Hizbullah now”: narrating the Party of God. Journal for Cultural Research, 18(2), 158-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2013.851852

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 11, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Nov 15, 2013
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Apr 29, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 11, 2015
• Journal: Journal for Cultural Research
• Print ISSN: 1479-7585
• Electronic ISSN: 1740-1666
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 158-170
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2013.851852
• Keywords: Hizbullah, Party of God, Narrative, Lebanon, Shi‘ism, Karbala.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1434655