Between Widened Imaginaries and Retreat: Strategies from the Margins of the October 17 Uprising in Lebanon

Despite recurrent waves of social mobilizations in many parts of the world, dominant power structures remain relatively unshaken. Continued opposition to current socioeconomic and political realities, absorbed and nullified by reformist pathways, has left many disappointed and demobilized. In line with this general development, albeit with key contextual differences, Lebanon has witnessed a series of social mobilizations since 2011 culminating in the October 17 uprising in 2019. Struggling against a hegemonic sectarian system firmly controlled by ruling political and financial elites, a variety of collective actions ranging from disruptive to prefigurative were deployed. While many organizations focused on bottom-up change tried to adapt their visions and/or strategies to the rapidly developing context, siloed and sectoral approaches remained dominant. A wider more coordinated strategy that captures the imagination of the moment, directs various actions towards a common goal, and dislodges electoral politics from the dominant discourse remained elusive. Based on a series of semi-structured interviews with activists from various organizations, the adaptability of tactics to turbulent changes were dissected. Responding to the uprising, repression, pandemic, socioeconomic collapse, August 4 port explosion, parliamentary elections, and sectarian parties’ resurgence, collective actors, specifically those driven by bottom-up social change, engaged with the different phases from varying lenses. Mobilization peaks were met with intensified activities, widened imaginaries were met with a flourishing of initiatives – many of which did not survive, socioeconomic crises were met with mutual aid and solidarity, and demobilization was met by retreat and return to gradual slow building. Notwithstanding their shortcomings and marginal influence on the overall trajectory of the uprising, the strategies and principles of some actors guided their attempts to maneuver harshly changing realities on the ground.