Bolliger:Tripolis

Tripoli is both ancient and young, a city with history and a place where many ways of life intersect. The city in Lebanon provides answers to questions that affect the Middle East as a whole. What has become of the hopes of the Arab Spring? How do geopolitics, intelligence agencies, and cynical power calculations instrumentalize the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites? What new perspectives do the current protests open up to overcome corruption and economic misery? Monika Bolliger uses the example of Tripoli to discuss the painful transformations that the Middle East underwent with the onset of modernity. She has conducted conversations with residents – with a sociologist who opposes patriarchy, Salafists seeking solace in piety, a retired communist reminiscing about the past glory of the Arab left, and young women committed to a pluralistic Tripoli. This creates a diverse portrait of a city that opens up new perspectives while also representing the Middle East with all its tragedy, problems, and wealth.