A House with Many Mansions

Kamal Salibi

Lebanon today* is one of the most divided countries. Paradoxically, the Lebanese themselves, Christians and Muslims among whom the epidemic of division is rampant, are fully aware of their common identity. Accordingly, the authoritative writer Kamal Salibi, through this work, re-examines the historical myths that the warring factions in his country have adopted as a basis for building various conflicting visions of the Lebanese state. He shows that Lebanon cannot bear the burdens of this division, and that developing a sense of political unity on the one hand, and maintaining it on the other, requires distinguishing between reality and perception, and then relying on what is real in the common experience of both parties. In this context, Kamal Salibi takes a close look at Lebanese history, highlighting prominent facts in the dynamic of the Lebanese conflict. *As of the book's publication in 1988