Understanding sectarianism in the development sector in Lebanon

This paper focuses on types of conflict that development practitioners in Lebanon face when dealing with the socio-cultural and political realities on the ground. Through this research, I attempt to develop a different angle to analysing the impact of sectarian conflict in Lebanon. Sectarianism is a complex and culturally charged word which is used to define many plaguing problems in Lebanon. This paper aims to highlight nuances to how sectarianism is understood amongst practitioners who work in the context of planning and development. Using the Policy/Project Cycle Management (PCM) as framework the results shine light on the connections between the stages of the PMC in which the conflict episode occurs, and the understanding of sectarianism which explains the relevance of the conflict episode. The results of this study discuss sides of sectarian conflict that are relevant to development practitioners, and which can assist more targeted interventions in development processes.