From silk to concrete: exploring the socio-spatial aspects of the Agrarian question(s) in Mount Lebanon

Research on the Southwest Asia North Africa region often focuses on turbulent upheaval and landscape change in urban areas, and less on the rural and agrarian spaces left behind. In this paper, we look at the varying trajectory of landscape change in two neighboring villages in Mount Lebanon with similar geophysical characteristics but very different ecologies and economies. We show how these paths were mediated by capital flows and the changing modes of production and livelihoods. Looking through the lens of the Agrarian Question, we argue for its continued importance in understanding rural landscapes and their place in capitalist development.