Narratives around the history of our nation have been hijacked by one-dimensional stories promoted by sectarian ideologues.

There are few more anti-intellectual settings then hearing discussions about the nature of the Lebanese identity.

The presence of clashing views is inevitable when one enters into such debates without first defining whether the identity is based on religious, linguistic, ethnic grounds or on the continuity of statehood or a civilization.

The reason why building a common identity failed early on in our history was the lack of agreement on objective basis of the identity, the early nature of our social fabric, the scarcity of common memories of collaboration, linguistic uncertainty, regional geopolitical developments, and the emergence of symbolic threats – factors that have since evolved.

As a result, narratives filled with historical sensationalism, revisionism, “fear of the other”, and victimization narratives have pervaded the minds of our nation.

This has come at the expense of narratives focusing on the much longer periods of harmony in our history. The tribes of Lebanon have coexisted together for thousands of years. Lebanon’s attributes as a mountainous, coastal region hosting trading posts enabled the tribes to thrive while maintaining their cultural diversity.

Languages, religions and allegiances to foreign sovereigns changed across cycles of history, blending with the core components of our indigenous civilization.

This has diluted the visibility of our indigenous features, enhancing the superficial view that large cultural differences separate Lebanese communities due to the diversity of traditions and belief systems.

There can often be a lack of understanding about the cycles of human civilization and empires, the development of social clusters, and the establishment of nation-states.

Clarifying each of these concepts can help build a collective perception of our history and support the claim around the continuity of our civilization.

The era of tribal ideologues is over.

A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY IS ON THE WAY