The sources of this new drama in Lebanon are in the neoliberal and sectarian political system and the domination exercised by the different fractions of the dominant classes that compose it. This is not just an accident, but a crime stemming from the policies of this political system with deadly and destructive consequences.

To discuss the political and socio-economic dynamics after the terrible explosion of August 4 and in the midst of the ongoing Lebanese uprising since October 2019, the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists presents the following speakers

Rima Majed is a writer, activist, and Assistant Professor of Sociology at American University of Beirut (AUB). Her research focuses on social movements, sectarianism, conflict and violence in the Middle East. She has written extensively on the political economy of sectarianism, protests and uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq, structural transformations and unemployment in postwar Lebanon, and the importance of labor organization. Her work has appeared in many academic and media platforms including Social Forces; Mobilization; Global Dialogue; Idafat: The Arab Journal of Sociology; Al Jumhuriya; CNN; Middle East Eyes, OpenDemocracy, and Al Jazeera English. Rima is currently working on a book that looks at sectarian capitalism and the shift in sectarian boundaries in Lebanon.

Maya Zaybdawi, is a Palestinian political activist and a member of the student movement and the ‘Nationalizing Banks’ campaign in Lebanon.

Joey Ayoub is a Lebanese writer, researcher and activist currently based in Geneva. He has a BS in Environmental Health from the American University of Beirut, a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies from SOAS University of London and is currently continuing a PhD in Cultural Analysis at the University of Zurich, via the University of Edinburgh. He previously worked as MENA editor at Global Voices and IFEX, founded the blog “Hummus For Thought” and is currently hosting a podcast called The Fire These Times.