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Civil and Uncivil Violence

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The works of Samir Khalaf are perhaps the most quoted in all the books that talk about or try to explain the Lebanese civil war. By reading this book, you'd know why the ideas of the sociology professor at the American University of Beirut are such widespread and respected.

Civil and Uncivil Obedience is the fruit of Khalaf's long years of research and his survival of civil war. He observes the Lebanese society and applies modern methodology of analyzing how this society broke down on the eve of the nation's civil strife in 1975 and how tribal affiliations and modes of behavior and interaction easily re-surfed and replaced the state's social contract.

The book is very specialized and might appeal to sociology experts and students more than the average reader. Khalaf's style is also wordy at times as he decorates his text with all kinds of vocabulary that sometimes make the reader lose track of the content. Still, this reference book is worth keeping at your library if you are a Middle East expert or student.