The history of electricity in Lebanon serves as a vibrant arena for struggles over political economy, foreign corporate ownership, and the very definition of national sovereignty. Associate Professor Ziad Abu-Rish unpacks this evolution, tracking public utilities from early regional monopolies to the eventual creation of Électricité du Liban (EDL). Rather than viewing popular protests and boycotted utility bills as signs of state disintegration, this conversation explores how these collective actions actively built and legitimized Lebanese state institutions. This deep dive ultimately reframes daily encounters with state infrastructure as fundamental practices of modern politics and national identity.
The history of electricity in Lebanon serves as a vibrant arena for struggles over political economy, foreign corporate ownership, and the very definition of national sovereignty. Associate Professor Ziad Abu-Rish unpacks this evolution, tracking public utilities from early regional monopolies to the eventual creation of Électricité du Liban (EDL). Rather than viewing popular protests and boycotted utility bills as signs of state disintegration, this conversation explores how these collective actions actively built and legitimized Lebanese state institutions. This deep dive ultimately reframes daily encounters with state infrastructure as fundamental practices of modern politics and national identity.
00:00 Introduction
04:00 Monopolies and Regional Boundaries
12:07 The Myth of Free Market Competition
17:30 Decolonizing Public Infrastructure
23:26 The Spark of the Boycott Movement
27:31 Redefining State Legitimacy through Protests
32:34 Concrete Boundaries and Popular Sovereignty
38:01 Tracing State Growth and Formations
46:44 The Persistence of Institutions
51:57 Invisible Walls and Controlled Movement
54:49 History on Stage
Ziad Abu-Rish is Associate Professor of Human Rights and Middle East Studies at Bard College, where he also directs the MA Program in Human Rights and the Arts. A scholar of the modern Middle East and North Africa, his research centers around state formation, economic development, and popular mobilizations, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan. He earned his PhD in History from UCLA and his MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Abu-Rish is the author of The State of Lebanon: Popular Politics and Institution Building in the Wake of Independence (Stanford University Press, forthcoming), and co-editor of The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings: End of an Old Order? (2012). He is the co-creator (with Tania El Khoury) of The Search for Power, an interactive installation and lecture performance on the history of electricity in Lebanon. He serves as Co-Editor of Arab Studies Journal and Jadaliyya, as well as Co-Director of the Lebanon Dissertation Summer Institute.
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