Tearing Down the Curtain: Heritage Management and National Identity in Lebanon

Abstract

Heritage site management and preservation are vital undertakings that go beyond simple conservation work since they are intricately linked to the formation and maintenance of national identity (Zeayter et al. 2017). This is never more apparent than in Lebanon, a nation with a rich cultural past that is still attempting to reconcile the intricacies of a fractured sense of national identity. It is critical to comprehend how national identity and heritage sites interact as Lebanon navigates the difficulties of historical contradictions and political unrest. In an effort to shed light on how heritage sites and their management affect Lebanon's national identity and the lack of a collective memory, this thesis proposes to unpack this complex connection. Conflict, foreign interference, and internal differences have all characterized Lebanon's historical trajectory, which has contributed to the disintegration of the country’s collective memory and national identity. Lebanon's cultural environment has been permanently shaped by the legacies of colonialism, civil wars, and geopolitical conflicts, which have shaped both past and contemporary narratives. Using multidisciplinary viewpoints from history, anthropology, archaeology, and heritage studies, this thesis proposal seeks to offer a thorough understanding of the ways in which cultural sites shape Lebanon's sense of national identity. This research employed a case study approach, focusing on the National Museum of Beirut as a symbolic site of colonial heritage in Lebanon. I used collection of artifacts, such as pictures of major monuments and maps as well as observation logs as the major data collection techniques. Due to the political conflict in Beirut that ensued at the time of the study, the study context was limited to the National Museum of Beirut. The National Museum of Beirut stands as a symbol of Lebanon’s fragmented identity. Established under the French mandate, it is shaped by colonial narratives and designed to emphasize the country’s Antiquity heritage. Moreover, the Lebanese civil war transformed the museum into a battleground both literally, as it stood on the Green Line, and figuratively as the work it took to retore it post-war became part of the country’s larger fight to reconstruct its fractured identity. Despite its reopening and restoration, the museum still faces major challenges in curation such as a real inclusivity in its representation of Lebanese history, as well as a more chronological and objective historical display. The museum should rise above its storage like display in order to present a more balanced and nuanced narrative.