Politics of a garbage crisis: social networks, narratives, and frames of Lebanon’s 2015 protests and their aftermath

Abstract

ABSTRACTLebanon’s century-old sectarian framework maintains a system of governance through networks of clientelism and a commitment to fostering co-existence through the patronage of political leaders. Lebanon’s dire socio-economic conditions, coupled with long periods of deadlock, renders formal opposition almost impossible. However, looking at activism through the lens of social networks paints a different picture of how movements, both in times of mobilization and in during periods of abeyance, can create narratives and fames that sustain a loosely organized informal political opposition both on the streets and in the ballot box. This article focuses on the protest movements that arose in Lebanon in 2015 as a reaction to a mounting garbage crisis known as the hirak (the movement). The hirak is analyzed here as having passed through three stages of mobilization: (1) mobilization during the protests of summer 2015, (2) abeyance following September 2015, and (3) its remobilization during the 2016 municipal elections. Analysis of the second phase will provide evidence of how social networks allowed the movement’s framing to survive by creating narratives in abeyance when activists could deliberate and re-strategize. The article contributes to the study of social movements in abeyance as well as to the study of Arab countries that did not experience mass uprisings. By focusing on frames in abeyance, the Lebanese case helps expand the theoretical and practical framework of how narratives substantiate frames and help connect the dots between various episodes of mobilization.