In examining the social correlates of sectarianism in Lebanon, this paper first assesses the sign... more In examining the social correlates of sectarianism in Lebanon, this paper first assesses the significance of two major factors. One is political, pertaining to the structure of interconfessional power relations, and the other is cultural, measured in terms of orientations toward historically significant issues. The paper argues that an historical shift in power relations resulted in parity among the major political players in Lebanon: Christians, Sunnis, and Shi’is. This change thus removed the functional need for sectarianism in the structure of power inequality. Drawing on data from a 2008 world values survey in Lebanon, the paper also shows that on the cultural level, the differences in Lebanese attitudes and value orientations toward historically significant issues do not quite fall on religious fault-lines. Although Christians and Muslims differ significantly in their attitudes toward gender relations and religious fundamentalism, the Shi’is and Sunnis, despite their political ...
In examining the social correlates of sectarianism in Lebanon, this paper first assesses the sign... more In examining the social correlates of sectarianism in Lebanon, this paper first assesses the significance of two major factors. One is political, pertaining to the structure of interconfessional power relations, and the other is cultural, measured in terms of orientations toward historically significant issues. The paper argues that an historical shift in power relations resulted in parity among the major political players in Lebanon: Christians, Sunnis, and Shi’is. This change thus removed the functional need for sectarianism in the structure of power inequality. Drawing on data from a 2008 world values survey in Lebanon, the paper also shows that on the cultural level, the differences in Lebanese attitudes and value orientations toward historically significant issues do not quite fall on religious fault-lines. Although Christians and Muslims differ significantly in their attitudes toward gender relations and religious fundamentalism, the Shi’is and Sunnis, despite their political ...
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Papers by Jean Kors