Social housing provision in Beirut - the housing strategies of the Maronite church and the Hezbollah in the light of integration processes

The focus of this analysis is the provision of housing in Lebanon in the post-war period. The Maronite church and the Hezbollah are two of the main actors on the housing market in Lebanon, filling the gap left by liberal and laissez-faire state policies. Their significance as actors on the housing-market is directly related to their power as societal organizations. This paper analyses the way in which the Maronite church and the Hezbollah, as actors on the housing-market and through their housing strategies, contribute to the general processes of integration/segregation in Lebanese society. The analysis is based on qualitative fieldwork carried out during several stays in Beirut. The housing and integration strategies of these actors are investigated using the analytical framework of action-theory. Based on a synopsis of the actors, conditions on the housing market and the processes of integration/segregation, the objectives and effects of the actors' strategies are evaluated with regard to their contribution to these fields. A significant finding was that the strategies of both the Maronite church and the Hezbollah have contributed to the reinforcement of economic and socio-cultural cleavages and to the endangerment of the stability of social systems. This can be explained by the observation that denominational actors restrict access to housing by making it conditional upon socio-cultural and economic requirements.