The phantom of the ‘sectarianization’ of the Middle East, especially after the ‘Arab uprisings’, has alimented the narrative of the struggle between Sunni and Shia across the region. If it is undeniable that the ‘Shia revival’ has contributed to change the perception of this branch of the Islam, it seems also evident that such narrative is instrumentally used to give 'a certain reading' (orientalist) of the current situation in Middle East. From this perspective, in many ways, the concept of 'culture wars' could be easily compared, and it tends to overlap, to the narrative of the fight against Sunni and Shia. The paper aims at analyzing the relations between Sunni and Shia in Lebanon in a broader picture. The paradigm of ‘culture wars’ if seem fascinating in explaining this relationship is not sufficient, however, without looking at the past, at how this relationship has developed inside the Lebanese confessional system.
