Please join the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies for a conversation with Ziad Abu-Rish, an associate professor of human rights and Middle Eastern studies at Bard College in New York. Abu-Rish will discuss "Wayn al-Dawleh? [Where is the Government?]: Lebanon in the 1940s and 1950s".

In this conversation, we will explore the expectations, debates and transformations within both state institutions and popular movements in Lebanon as the country transitioned from a French colonial possession (1918-1943) to an independent state. The discussion will cover social movements such as labor unions and women's organizations to consider their vibrancy amidst competing visions and numerous struggles over the shape of the political system, economic development and social hierarchies in post-colonial Lebanon. While not a focus, the conversation will invariably upend many assumptions about Lebanese politics and history that have become axiomatic of how Lebanon is discussed in contemporary public forums as well as many scholarly and historical publications.