Lebanon adrift : from battleground to playground / Samir Khalaf.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-285) and index.

1. On Protracted and Displaced Collective Violence -- 2. The Spaces of War and Postwar: Reflections on Collective Memory, Identity and Nostalgia -- 3. Consumerism in a Traumatized Society -- 4. Touting Luxury, Sensuality and Image -- 5. The Allure of the Spectacle and Kitsch -- 6. Prospects for Transforming Consumers Into Citizens -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

Lebanon today is at a fateful crossroads in its eventful socio-cultural and political history. Imperiled by unsettling transformations, from postwar reconstruction and rehabilitation to the forces of postmodernity and globalism, it remains adrift. In this landmark study, Samir Khalaf explores how ordinary citizens, burdened by the consequences of an ugly and unfinished war, persisting regional rivalries, mounting economic deprivation and diminishing prospects for well-being, find meaning and coherence in a society that has not only lost its moorings and direction, but also its sense of control.