The Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC), part of the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLPS) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU), is pleased to announce two new research initiatives that shed light on displacement and diaspora responses during times of war and crisis.
The first is a newly released factsheet series addressing recent (2023–2025) displacement, evacuation, and forced emigration in Lebanon and the broader MENA region. The second is a historical study examining the political engagement of the Levantine diaspora during World War I, with a focus on Ameen Rihani and the New York Pen League. Together, these studies provide timely insights into the past and present of diaspora activism, identity, and crisis response.
Study 1: “Beyond Borders, Beyond Crisis” – Experiences of Foreign Nationals in Wartime Lebanon
Authored by Prof. Dr. Eugene Sensenig, this factsheet series was launched during Global Open Education Week (March 4–8, 2025) as part of LERC’s commitment to open educational practices and knowledge-sharing. Based on Creative Commons (CC) principles, the series contributes to the Open Education Resources (OER) agenda and offers practical insights into the lived experiences of foreign nationals in Lebanon during recent armed conflict.
In alignment with the theme of International Women’s Day 2025, “Accelerate Action,” the findings highlight the intersectional and gendered impact of conflict and displacement, particularly on vulnerable groups such as migrant domestic workers (MDWs).
The factsheets aim to:
1. Highlight the roles of government agencies, civil society, and foreign nationals themselves in organizing evacuation efforts.
2. Draw lessons from recent events—including the fall of 2024 and the 2006 summer war—to improve future crisis preparedness.
Recommendations include enhancing the legal status of MDWs, abolishing the kafala (unfree labor) system, adopting a multi-stakeholder group (MSG) approach to emergency relief, and developing a comprehensive post-evacuation support system for evacuees returning to their home countries.
Study 2: “Vivas on the Side for Syria Libre” – Ameen Rihani’s Political Activities as Told in Letters to Uncle Sam (1917–1919)
In collaboration with the Department of Asian and
Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College–Columbia University and the
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University LERC intern and Barnard student Lily Glaser conducted a pioneering study exploring the relationship between literature, media, and diaspora political activism during World War I.
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Eugene Sensenig, Glaser’s research is based on
Letters to Uncle Sam, written by Ameen Rihani between 1917 and 1919. These letters document Rihani’s travels throughout the United States and Mexico, where he mobilized the Syrian-Lebanese diaspora in support of the Allied war effort against the Ottoman Empire and Germany.
Drawing on archival material from the Khayrallah Center, the study traces a pivotal shift: from support for a reformed Ottoman Empire to a push for full independence for Lebanon and Syria. Rihani helped establish “Syrian-Lebanese Leagues of Liberation” across the Americas. In Yucatán, for example, his leadership united a divided diaspora. As he described it, “hundreds of them… yielded, conformed, forgot their local feuds, buried their hatchets, and rallied to the bugle call of Freedom.”
Beyond its historical value, the study also sheds light on contemporary issues of sectarianism and coexistence in the Levant. It reveals how diasporic communities developed independent diplomatic approaches, distinct from those of both their countries of origin and residence.
The study was researched and drafted virtually through LERC and on-site in the archives of the Moise A. Khayrallah Center as part of a joint internship with Barnard College.
According to LERC Director Prof. Dr. Eugene Sensenig, “This study is a first of its kind and provides unique insights into the link between Rihani’s literary work and political activism. It also documents how the Lebanese in the United States and Mexico developed their own approach to international relations, independent of the governments of their respective homelands and host countries.”