American University of Beirut | April 14,15, 16 2025 | Common Room, West Hall
Program overview
To mark the 50th anniversary of the war’s outbreak, the Department of History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut, in collaboration with civil society organizations, student societies, leading activists, and artists, is launching a year-long series of events starting this April, and running until April 2026. This will include exhibitions, lectures, workshops, concerts, and initiatives both on and off campus.
Day 1: Monday, April 14, 2025
Exhibit Title: Fifty Years of Amnesia: Commemorating the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990)
Time: 4:00 PM | Opening of the Exhibit
Venue: Common Room| West Hall
Hosted by: The History and Archaeology Department, Archives and Special Collections Jafet Library, UMAM Documentation & Research
This exhibition explores how memory, silence, and forgetting have shaped public understanding of the war. It brings together archival material, personal testimonies, visual art, and multimedia installations that reflect on the war’s enduring impact.
Join us for the opening ceremony, a tour of the exhibit, and reflections from artists, curators, and memory practitioners.
Launch of the Lebanon Memory Map App
Time: 5:00 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and in collaboration with AUB, Fighters for Peace and UMAM Documentation and Research.
This interactive platform documents personal and collective memories of the war and allows users to contribute their own.
Event Highlights:
- Live demonstration of the app
- Panel with developers, contributors, and memory activists
- Discussion on digital memory and the future
- Testimonies
Day 2: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Panel Discussion: Women and the Civil War
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: UN Women, Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship, Department of History and Archeology
This session is part of the series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lebanon’s civil war and is part of a series of dialogue on women and the civil war in Lebanon. This inaugural session highlights how women-led intergenerational dialogue for reconciliation at community level resulted in oral history archiving of women’s lived experiences as leaders, carers, victims, and survivors of conflict. Join us as we focus on the importance of dealing with the past as a gateway to an inclusive and peaceful future for Lebanon.
Features:
- Personal testimonies through archival footage
- Access to report
- Moderated discussion and Q&A
Process:
- Opening remarks Dr. Makram Rabah
- Moderator: Lina Abou Habib
- Q & A
- Closing remarks
Panel Discussion: Debunking Sectarian Mythologies of the Lebanese Civil War
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Speakers: Prof. Hilal Khashan, Dr. Khalil Gebara
The dominant public understanding of the Lebanese Civil War—and Lebanese history more broadly—continues to revolve around notions of religious and sectarian conflict. Complex factors such as political partisanship, economic dynamics, and regional and international interventions are often overlooked in favor of simplified narratives that frame the war as an inevitable clash between religious communities.
Fifty years since the outbreak of the war, these outdated and divisive narratives deserve renewed scrutiny.
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Prof. Hilal Khashan and Dr. Khalil Gebara as they unpack the role of sectarianism and challenge the common myths and tropes associated with the Lebanese Civil War. The event will feature a moderated discussion followed by an open Q&A with the audience
Student Roundtable: Remembrance, AUB and the Civil War
Time: 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: History and Archaeology Student Society (HASS)
How did AUB experience the war? How has it remembered or forgotten this period? This roundtable explores these questions through student research, archival material, and oral histories.
- Munir Khawli: A musician and songwriter who studied English Literature at AUB
- Nora Boustany: A Lebanese-American journalist and educator and former correspondent for The Washington Post
- Ziad Kaj: Lebanese author, painter and Librarian born in Ras Beirut
- Moderator: Fadia Abou Saleh
Panel Discussion: The Soldiers and the State: Rethinking the Lebanese Army During the Civil War
Time: 5:00- 6:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: Department of History and Archaeology
As part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War, the Department of History and Archaeology is pleased to host a timely conversation on the complex and often overlooked role of the Lebanese Army during the conflict.
The event will feature Dr. Jonathan Hassine (Sciences Po Aix / University of Cambridge), author of the forthcoming book Les soldats et l’État dans le Liban en Guerre (1975–1990), published by Presses Universitaires de France. Based on extensive archival and field research, the book offers a critical reexamination of the Lebanese Army’s fragmentation and adaptation during the war.
Dr. Jonathan will be joined by Brigadier General (ret.) Khalil Helou, who served in the Lebanese Army during the civil war and has since become a prominent commentator on civil-military relations in Lebanon.
Together, they will explore the army’s entanglement with the state, its shifting loyalties and roles, and the ways in which its legacy continues to shape Lebanese political and security discourse today.
The event will include presentations by both speakers, followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.
From War to Dialogue: A Conversation with Fighters for Peace
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
In Collaboration with: Fighters for Peace
Former civil war combatants now working toward peace reflect on:
- Why they took up arms — and why they laid them down
- Confronting past violence
- Role of youth in reconciliation
- Accountability, memory, and forgiveness
An open conversation designed to spark dialogue and reflection.
Day 3: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Event Title: Book Discussion: The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon with Prof. Farid el-Khazen
Time: 11:00 AM – 1 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: Department of History and Archeology
Join us for a timely discussion with Professor Farid el-Khazen on his seminal work, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon (1967–1976), which offers a penetrating analysis of the early years of the Lebanese Civil War and the internal and external factors that led to the collapse of state authority.
In light of the 50th anniversary of the war’s outbreak, this conversation will revisit the political dynamics that fractured Lebanon in the mid-1970s and reflect on their relevance today. The event will include remarks from Prof. el-Khazen, a moderated discussion, and an open Q&A with the audience.
This is a unique opportunity to engage with one of Lebanon’s leading scholars on a landmark contribution to the study of the civil war and state failure in the region.
Workshop: Take What’s Important
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Led by: Maya Fidawi, Lebanese Illustrator & Artist
What would you take with you if war broke out today? Participants draw and imagine their emergency luggage — what they’d carry, what they’d leave behind, and what those choices say about memory, identity, and survival.
No artistic experience required — just imagination.
Virtual Tour: Tracing the Green Line
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: Samira Ezzo Tour Guide – Founder of Layers of Lebanon
Join Professional Tour Guide Samira Ezzo for a multimedia tour of Beirut’s former Green Line — its spatial, emotional, and historical traces. Beirut’s Green Line wasn’t just a line on a map—it was a reality people lived through, a space shaped by war, and now, a reminder of a past that still lingers in the city. This virtual tour takes you through key stops along the Green Line, sharing the stories behind the buildings, the streets, and the people who witnessed it all.
Through old photos, personal stories, and what’s left of the past in today’s Beirut, we’ll explore how the Civil War changed the city and how the city keeps changing. It’s a chance to see Beirut differently, to connect with its history in a way that goes beyond textbooks.
If you want to walk these streets and experience the full tour in person, join us for the Green Line Walking Tour every Saturday.
Includes discussion and Q&A.
Examining History and its Public Interpretation: A Conversation with Charles al-Hayek
Time: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
Venue: Common Room | West Hall
Hosted by: Researcher Charles al-Hayek, founder of Heritage and Roots, Department of History and Archeology
How is the history of the Lebanese War understood and presented to the public? Is our understanding based on historical facts or fragmented narratives passed down through generations? In a nation where the past remains a point of contention, this workshop will examine how the Lebanese War is portrayed in public discussions and online platforms. Furthermore, we will discuss the role of public history in shaping our understanding of the past. In an era dominated by social media, can public history be a force for education, critical analysis of historical narratives, and fostering understanding, or does it exacerbate societal divisions through polarizing historical interpretations?
Charles al-Hayek, founder of Heritage and Roots, discusses:
- Representing contested memories
- Bridging generational divides
- Making history accessible beyond academia
Includes a presentation and audience dialogue.
Film Screening & Discussion: Massaker (2005)
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Bathish Auditorium | West Hall
Guest Speaker: Director Monika Borgmann
Massaker explores the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre through the testimonies of six former militiamen.
This chilling documentary is followed by a conversation with co-director Monika Borgmann on the ethics of documenting war crimes from the perspective of perpetrators.
Contact
To suggest an event or request more information: [email protected]
