The Dilemma of Social and Political Integration of Ethnoclass Groups Within Pluralistic Societies PDF Download

Author: Lokman I. Meho
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Lebanon
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Get Book Here

Book Description
The presence of the Kurds in Lebanon goes back to the second quarter of this century when they sought refuge in Lebanon fleeing violence and poverty of Kurdistan. However, what was thought to be a temporary stay in Lebanon changed into permanent settlement after prospects for Kurdistan as an independent state became increasingly slim. Despite their relatively lengthy stay in Lebanon, the Kurds still seem to be an insecure minority uprooted from its past, but un-integrated due to difference in language, ethnicity, culture and historical background, and with no certainty about its future. This thesis asks whether this impression is valid, and if so why the Kurds appear to have made no significant strides to improve their material well-being or to integrate themselves within Lebanese society. Is the Kurds' dilemma a result of the institutional structure and socio-political norms of the Lebanese system or is at least partly due to the characteristics, attitudes and behavior of the Kurds themselves? The answers to these questions are generated by information from a survey of 308 members of the Kurdish community in Lebanon. The empirical evidence gathered suggests that the Kurds are a subordinate group which suffers from both class and ethnic deprivation. The data shows that the Kurds blame the political disadvantages that resulted from their lack of Lebanese citizenship administered on them by the Maronite leadership that blocked their chances from fear that additional Sunnites could tilt the sectarian balance against them. Their status as an unnaturalized minority has denied many members of the community legitimate access to secure and stable forms of employment and other civic privileges. Among other things, naturalization would have lessened the degree of discrimination they had to face and would have enhanced their opportunities for upward mobility and being more fully integrated into the fabric of a pluralistic society like Lebanon. The study reaches the conclusion that for Kurds, discrimination, whether legal (denial of citizenship) or socio-cultural (low socio-economic status and ethno-cultural distinction), was and still is the main negative source of their group identity and obstacle to their full integration into Lebanese society. In the absence of such deliberate discrimination, their integration into Lebanese society will be much more smooth and their sense of cultural identity is likely to be benign; it may eventually weaken or disappear entirely as successive generations are absorbed into growing economies and an evolving social order. However, this is not to say that the Kurds are not integrated into Lebanese society at all. In fact, after more than five decades in Lebanon, the Kurds seem to have acquired a dual life style and did not give up its efforts to identify itself as Kurdish and Lebanese. In other words, the Kurds in Lebanon accepted the society they lived in as the home base, as the prime focus of allegiance and as the place where personal ambitions are formed, achieved and enjoyed. Afterall, the integration of the Kurdish community into Lebanese society would be of great benefit to its members, particularly since such integration will carry with it some measure of recognized legal rights, social security and economic and career opportunities.