From the Streets to the Serail: Movement-to-Party Transformation within the Civil Society Movement in Lebanon

Abstract

This thesis examines what conditions enable the movement-to-party transformation of some groups within the Civil Society Movement in Lebanon, as opposed to the non-transformation of other groups from that same social movement. Based on indicators regarding social movement emergence and development, derived from Social Movement Theory, and indicators regarding political party formation, derived from Political Party Theory, a comprehensive framework is developed. By incorporating factors that address both external influences and internal dynamics, the framework offers a broad set of indicators that enable movement-to-party transformation. In this research, the developed framework is used to analyse two groups from the Civil Society Movement in Lebanon: You Stink, as a group that is not transformed into a political party; and LiBaladi, as a group that did transform into a political party in the run up to the 2018 Parliamentary Elections in Lebanon. Utilizing the framework to analyse the two cases and comparing the outcomes, three factors are identified as key indicators that enable movement-to-party transformation.