ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of professional activism in post-war reconstruction, based on the experiences of the Reconstruction Unit (RU), a group of academicians and practitioners affiliated with the American University of Beirut. Members of this group, with which I was associated, volunteered their expertise in the aftermath of the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel. The RU’s comprehensive vision integrated physical reconstruction with socioeconomic revitalization, operating at the levels of problem assessment, conceptual planning and technical aid. Considering the limited role of the Lebanese government at the time, we intended our efforts to be participatory and community based, and we engaged with a great variety of individuals and agencies on the ground, including municipalities, NGOs and the Shia social, political and religious group Hezbollah.
