An underrated, yet rich book by Fouad Ajami, who was himself a South Lebanese Shia before eventually making his way to Johns Hopkins and living exiled in the US.
I think his background gives him a really interesting perspective on the culture, attitudes, behaviors, and worldview of the Shia in the beautiful, yet rugged south Lebanon.
He was pretty controversial among many Shia, though, because he was increasingly critical of Arab attitudes in Lebanon and became increasingly Westernized as his career developed.
Regardless of where you stand on Ajami as a cultural ‘traitor’ or not, he provides important cultural context clues into the Shia Lebanese mind. Many of those cultural mindsets are alive and well today.
I think his background gives him a really interesting perspective on the culture, attitudes, behaviors, and worldview of the Shia in the beautiful, yet rugged south Lebanon.
He was pretty controversial among many Shia, though, because he was increasingly critical of Arab attitudes in Lebanon and became increasingly Westernized as his career developed.
Regardless of where you stand on Ajami as a cultural ‘traitor’ or not, he provides important cultural context clues into the Shia Lebanese mind. Many of those cultural mindsets are alive and well today.