The Lebanese Diaspora: origins and involvement throughout different crises

During its recent history, the Lebanese diaspora managed to settle and integrate in the hosting countries, however it has experienced numerous cases of injustices. First and foremost, Lebanon is a multi-diverse country, encompassing more than 18 recognised religious sects, shaping the upbringing of citizens and their decision on where to emigrate. For instance, diaspora members of Christian descent prefered settling in Northern America and in France, but those of Muslim affiliation chose in majority Southern America and Australia. The almost totality of Lebanese migrants encountered repeated cases of racism, causing extraniation from the culture of origin and of arrival, leading to the phenomenon of Arab worlds within developed countries. This aspect has both been beneficial and detrimental, as the Lebanese culture was still carried out in ‘exile’ but a full integration was never reached. Surely, Christians faced fewer problems in integration than Muslims did, however it is not a general rule. A relevant aspect is the composition of families. In the case of two-Lebanese parents, children managed to keep alive the traditions, language and mentality of the country of origin, however in the case of mixed families integration was surely harder to accomplish. The latter may be explained by a ‘limbo’ in which descendents have experienced repeated cases of racism, together with an impossibility to fully integrate and be accepted by both cultures. Difficulties in learning the Levantine dialect has been recorded in families of mixed descents, along with a general extranation feeling.