"This book rings with whispered knowing and sings aloud of struggle and striving in stories that did not die, and truths that will not be erased, because they are told here."—Tracey Jean Boisseau, Purdue University
Description
Conspicuously missing from narratives of the Lebanese Civil War are the stories of women who took part in daily social activism and political organizing during the tumultuous conflict. What the War Left Behind documents their stories, with eight women directly sharing their experiences of action and survival through the hardship of war.
What the War Left Behind brings together oral histories of women from a range of political affiliations, socioeconomic classes, and religious identities. These histories present an alternative image of women during war, highlighting the actions of those who sought to make life better for themselves and their neighbors during conflict. By centering women’s voices in the war, Abisaab and Hartman present a new perspective on an oft-discussed historical era, demonstrating the power of resistance during difficult times. These translated texts showcase the active roles women take during wartime and how women’s political efforts are an essential part of Lebanese history.
Table of Contents
Introduction “What the War Left Behind”
Chapter One: Wadad Halwani “War is the ugliest thing in the world”
Chapter Two: Rima Zaazaa “I can’t just go home, shut the door on the world, and forget”
Chapter Three: Arab Loutfi “War is so much more than meets the eye”
Chapter Four: Batul Ali Hashem “Political action can help women reach their full potential”
Chapter Five: Elissar Zein “I can’t see someone in need and do nothing”
Chapter Six: Umm ZiadMaliha Adnan “If people let themselves be ruled by fear, they end up doing nothing”
Chapter Seven: Hajjeh Zahra Abdel Latif Shʿayb “I could never sit still: I was always on the move”
Chapter Eight: Sanaa Ali Ahmad “You do what you have to do”
Reading Guide
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Appendix
About the Author
Malek Abisaab is associate professor of history at McGill University. He is the author of Militant Women of a Fragile Nation. He coedited Women’s War Stories: The Lebanese Civil War, Women’s Labor, and the Creative Arts with Michelle Hartman.
Michelle Hartman is professor of Arabic literature at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. She is the author of Breaking Broken English: Black-Arab Solidarities and the Politics of Language and Native Tongue, Stranger Talk: : The Arabic and French Literary Landscapes of Lebanon, both published by Syracuse University Press.
