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This study analyzes Lebanese and Palestinian youths’ memories of sectarian conflict,
their sources of knowledge, and how their memories shape their experiences of current
sectarian divides. From 1975 until 1990, Lebanon experienced a civil war characterized
by religious violence, and sectarian conflict continues in the country today. However,
the nation’s history curriculum stops at 1946. Qualitative analysis of 23 interviews
conducted with Lebanese and Palestinian high school graduates from a range of educational
backgrounds suggests that students are not socialized to memories of conflict – the
civil war and that of the present day – in school settings. Students perceive other
sources of information such as their parents and the media as unreliable, resulting
in limited understandings of the conflict. While youths’ vague memories are neutral,
students perceive one another as biased. This perception, coupled with a history curriculum
that emphasizes rote memorization over critical thinking, fosters the belief that
sectarian divides are immutable. The conception of sectarianism as unchanging and
everlasting contributes to disempowerment in overcoming religious divisions. History
curricula must be strengthened to enable youth to collectively engage with their past
and build a more unified Lebanese society.
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