The Circle of Bare Life:Hizballah, Muqawamah and Rejecting ? Being Thus?

Abstract

This article explores the emergence of Hizballah, the Party of God, and the development of its ideas of resistance at a local and regional level. It begins by considering the emergence of Hizballah and the Lebanese context through the lens of Giorgio Agamben's work on bare life. It suggests that these conditions existed in Lebanon—amidst the Shi'a community—and asks how people came together to reject the condition of 'being thus'. Conventional approaches suggest that this occurred through Hizballah's ideas of resistance, yet this has largely been under-conceptualized. To do this, it looks at the role of the Karbala Narrative in helping the group draw support from Shi'a Muslims in Lebanon, while also locating itself at the vanguard of resistance in the Middle East. With the emergence of Da'ish in the summer of 2014, this position was challenged. By reflecting on speeches from prominent Hizballah figures, the severity of the threat can be seen, justifying the Party of God's involvement in Syria. It concludes by arguing that the need to maintain its geopolitical influence has required military action in Syria, which has ultimately led to the creation of bare life.