Ethnography, cacophony, and Lebanon as a zone of prestige in the anthropology of the Middle East

Fieldwork on violence needs to take into consideration its knowledge practices and the ways in which is contained, produced made sense of as normalized or traumatic. This I argue a way incorporate production with experiential that anthropology has privileged source understanding suffering. The work Munira Khayyat Jean-Michel Landry are brought together this issue by ethnographic location: Lebanon, country experiencing groundswell anthropological interest. As war, occupation, authoritarianism have rendered Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt increasingly dangerous, if not impossible, research, Lebanon became compelling field site for graduate students interested Middle East. Thus, region, perhaps emerged new “prestige zone” (Abu Lughod, 1989; Deeb & Winegar 2012). After all, war just theoretical subjects; they often conditions possibility, impossibility, funding, access, mobility, academic production. Thus too long been framed politically, demographically, socially, religiously exceptional came stand it. And yet, revealed Khayyat's Landry's work, “peace” “stability” do characterize site. many anthropologists reminded us (e.g., Al-Masri, 2017; Hage, 2015; Hermez, Mikdashi, 2022; Moghnieh, Peteet, 2005), present state teaches us, temporality both historical future oriented. It productive it destructive. Both articles set areas coded, outside it, dominated Hezbollah. In 2006 Israel targeted southern suburbs Beirut country's South, did done wars skirmishes before after year. targeting aims inflict terror particular group people, shake political support, manifest brutal, inevitable result sectarian classed residential separation divided city country. Although does address effects seminary seminarians, lived reality inescapably shapes communal environment (bi'a) resistant ecologies attends to. exists at multiple scales: local (crime, fights, exploitation), national (civil war), geopolitical (invasion, war). explores Shi‘i seminaries teaching practice ethics sites reimagine relationship between ethics, subjectivity, environments (see also Kassem, 2016, 2018). reveals how invite reconceptualization communities humans sole actors but rather members human-tobacco-goat collectives create sustain life landscapes destruction. share, Al-Masri (2017, p. 46) others, felt “attention cumulative experience living war—be one's own another context—deepens researcher's ability discern condition than an encountered event.” compellingly insists we revisit life, space, time shared projects never fully control. For example, archives highest court were burned fire started mortar barrage during Lebanese Civil War. Working archive, view lifeworld assemblage objects, infrastructure—all open reversals time. A began more 40 years ago continues burn jurisprudence. To understand past continue press futures, already shape our present, must appreciate skill goats evading land mines. We squint through weak flashlight built lighter because some days there was no electricity archive state's court. smell burning tobacco legal files, dwell multiplying relationships sensorial, relational, temporal. am especially drawn since he conducted research religious institutions their attendant systems, largely worlds men. Gender affects researchers’ access Islamic Christian seminaries, permeates impact these elsewhere. personal status courts, staffed male graduates women's opposition protest against what consider punitive custody judgments corruption courts’ financial, political, moral registers. gender relations fundamental part bi'a seminarians emerge from, live in, concerned with, all will learn from when turns his sensitive analysis fact. share interest ethical practice. Many my interlocuters, seeking avert wars, engaged call evangelical secularism. That is, sought cultivate culture, politics anti-sectarianism. They wanted reshape public space would allow different, secular forms subjectivity flourish. them queer, feminist, anti-sectarian activists, several concerns seminarians. Some secularists same neighborhoods hail families. yet recognize themselves allies joint struggle? Can religion secularism hold are, building—sometimes friction—a environment? argued book (Mikdashi, 2022), embodied, communal, proselytizing, practices; structurally affectively contain each other. desire produce, embody, model can be purified “noise.” Yet differ visions kind subjectivities, collectives, should bring forth. cacophony desired futures one soundtracks ethnography best Writing reflection Beirut, quotidian temporal holding cell economic implosion, cannot help wonder multispecies networks making possible—even bitter paraphrase Khayyat. What assemblages produce cling like barnacles capsized boat, regimen daily survival? codes being stranded forever temporary? Is steadfastness project, cultivated times peace, paralysis? understandings violence, itself word collective, cacophonous experience?