Dr. Pamela Chrabieh: Peace

Showing posts with label Peace. Show all posts

Monday, November 02, 2015

A Journey to the Past of Dubai

Field trip to Al Bastakiya, the Dubai Museum and Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood

Students enrolled in the MEST 318 Cultures of the Middle East class with Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at AUD, went on a field trip to Al Bastakiya, the Dubai Museum and Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood recently.

Quoting H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, “He who has no past, has no present”, Dr. Chrabieh explains, “This field trip was about the importance of preserving the cultural heritage that is – along with the natural heritage – an irreplaceable source of life, inspiration, identity and communal support.”

She continued, “Young generations usually feel that traditions and old habits, customs and artifacts are no longer relevant. However, cultural heritage provides a sense of unity and belonging, allows us to better understand previous generations and the history of where we come from, and learn lessons from the past in order to tackle our present day situations in a better way.”

Students were also introduced to the importance of understanding multiple patterns that constitute a culture to be able to value it and enjoy it, and vice versa.

Al Bastakiya is a historic district in Dubai, named after the Bastak region of Iran and built in the 19th c. C.E. The locality lies along Dubai Creek and includes narrow lanes and wind towers, as well as Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest existing building in Dubai (1787) that includes the Dubai Museum with its diverse sections showing life in the Emirate before the advent of oil, in addition to artifacts from recent discoveries as old as 3000 B.C.E.

In the Museum, students were divided in groups and were assigned specific galleries such as the Fort courtyard with its dhow, traditional summer house (arish) and wind-tower (barjil); the collection of old weapons and musical instruments; the 19th c. C.E. model of the city and the creek-side souq as well as pre-oil era old maps and dioramas; scenes of the Bedouin daily life and the marine life; etc.

The second activity was a free-style walk in the Al Fahidi Historical neighborhood with a focus on the history of architecture, the elegant wind-towers, gypsum decorations and woodwork, and the early urban development of Dubai. The Al Fahidi includes many art galleries, restaurants, heritage houses and museums such as the museum of coffee, the calligraphy museum, the camel museum and the coins museum.

Students visited the Majlis Gallery and had the opportunity to learn more about local and regional artists such as Tunisian Abdallah Akar, Dubai’s famous artist Abdul Qader Al Raes, Calligrapher Khaled Al Saai and photographer Udaybhanu.

The last stop was at the Arabian Tea House Café for a cultural lunch, where students enjoyed their time discussing what they experienced, listening to Fairuz and tasting delicious Emirati and Southwestern Asian food.

SOURCE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI NEWS
See more at: http://www.aud.edu/news_events/en/view/988/current_upcoming//a-journey-to-the-past-of-dubai#sthash.QUJrSsLl.dpuf

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Peace Education in Lebanon - The 7th Asian Conference on Education (Kobe-Japan)

Academic Virtual presentation (power point video format) about my pedagogical approach and my research in three Lebanese universities from 2007 till 2014.

The 7th Asian Conference on Education,
Art Center of Kobe, Kobe, Japan
Wednesday, October 21 - Sunday, October 25, 2015
http://iafor.org/conferences/ace2015/

This virtual presentation will also be soon published here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/AsianCon...

Conference Programme - View on issuu via a web browser:
http://issuu.com/iafor/docs/ace-acset-aceurs-2015
(p.90/100)

Summary:

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh presents a paper entitled ‘Peace Education in Lebanon: Case Study in the University Context’ with a focus on the results of a qualitative research she conducted from 2007 till 2014 in three Lebanese Universities. Dr. Chrabieh has closely studied the initiatives of many peace activists in Lebanon from 2001 till 2007 and published a book about the subject ‘Voix-es de Paix au Liban’ (Voices/Paths of Peace in Lebanon) in 2008. When she came back from Canada to Lebanon and started teaching at St Josef University in Beirut, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University, she expanded her research to include high school students (with another book published in 2009) and 500 university students. This latest research’s progressive results were presented at Oxford-UK, Balamand-Lebanon, Istanbul-Turkey, Dubai-UAE and Rome-Italy. In her virtual presentation, Dr. Chrabieh introduces her audience to her final results, including her students’ visions of war and peace.

“Traumatic experiences of war may never disappear from the minds of many generations of Lebanese, and new wounded memories will be added to the old ones. But my research revealed the importance of creating alternative models of education through unconventional ideas and teaching techniques when it comes to the promotion of empathy, mutual respect and dialogue, as major peacebuilding pillars. Education, as I see it, is first and foremost about learning to be and become better human beings, capable of dealing with our individual and collective war traumas, of embracing our differences and constructing a common history/identity”.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Peace Education, from Lebanon to Italy

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh participates in the Int'l Journal of Arts & Sciences Conference Series in Rome

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle-Eastern Studies at the School of Arts and Sciences, recently participated in the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) Conference Series, which took place at the American University in Rome.

“The Rome Conference was an exciting get together of multidisciplinary professors and scholars with common interests spanning from research methodology to teaching and education,” comments Dr. Chrabieh.

Dr. Chrabieh presented her paper entitled “Peace Education in Lebanon”, which focused on her pedagogical approach and applications in university classrooms from 2007 till 2014 in three Lebanese universities with 3000 graduate and undergraduate students of different religious, cultural, social-economic and political backgrounds.

She also introduced her audience to the positive changes the various class activities yielded in students’ perceptions and relations based on a qualitative research she conducted with 500 students, and to the obstacles that this approach faced in a context of local and regional physical and psychological wars.

She explains, “Obstacles to Peace Education are numerous, but I strongly believe that ‘Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time’ (L. Johnson). Every initiative for peace counts and certainly contributes to the culture of peace. However, Peace Education ought to become a public good in Lebanon and a major pillar in the national curricula (formal settings - schools and universities) if we truly want to break the war cycle and achieve sustainable peace.”

Dr. Chrabieh’s session included significant papers from transformative learning in online classes and teaching citizenship in a South African post conflict context, to retention in a diverse academic workplace in the UAE and planning formulation process in developing strategic plan for secondary schools improvement.

Dr. Chrabieh also had the opportunity to visit the AUR campus and learn more about what the Faculty members define as the educational immersion in the city – ‘Rome as a classroom’. “We do have similar initiatives at the American University in Dubai, for instance in my courses in Middle Eastern Studies: Dubai with its artistic and historical facets is considered a fertile field for learning,” she notes.

“Furthermore, I am planning on organizing more activities in 2016 and 2017 that would allow students (local, expats and study abroad students) to be immersed/re-immersed in the local cultures,” concludes Dr. Chrabieh.

The Conference Series aims were: to provide opportunities for academics from a range of disciplines and countries to share their research and receive in-depth feedback through face-to-face exchanges (Social Sciences and Humanities, Business and Economics, Teaching and Education, and Technology and Science); and to introduce academics to educational premises in locations that are suitable for study abroad programs and which may meet their students’ educational needs.

SOURCE:

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Peace Education in Lebanon - International Journal of Arts and Sciences Conference Series (Rome, Italy)

The International Journal of Arts and Sciences Conference Series – Rome
October 19-22, 2015, American University of Rome - Italy
International Academic Conference

The International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) Conference Series takes place annually in several cities across Europe and North America. Rome - and specifically the American University of Rome (AUR) - was the first on IJAS’ list of conference venues for the academic year. Established in 1969, the University combines the American practical know-how, technological capability and career preparation, with the European and Italian classical tradition of the humanities and liberal arts.

The Conference Series aims are: 1) to provide opportunities for academics from a range of disciplines and countries to share their research and receive in-depth feedback through face-to-face exchanges (Social Sciences and Humanities, Business and Economics, Teaching and Education, and Technology and Science); 2) to introduce academics to educational premises in locations that are suitable for study abroad programs and which may meet their students’ educational needs.

The Rome Conference was an exciting get together of multidisciplinary professors and scholars with common interests spanning from research methodology to teaching and education. Panelists presented papers such as the Analysis of the education policies in Higher Education in Latin America from a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach, Students’ perceptions in using B-Learning (Blend Learning) education, Digital mediations in critical didactics within experimental sciences, Preparing students for effective technical oral presentations through self-study multimedia courseware in Malaysia, etc. My session included significant papers from transformative learning in online classes and teaching citizenship in a South African post conflict context , to retention in a diverse academic workplace in the UAE and planning formulation process in developing strategic plan for secondary schools improvement. I had also the opportunity to visit the AUR premises and to learn more about what its Faculty members define as the educational immersion in the city – ‘Rome as a classroom’. We do have similar initiatives at the American University in Dubai, for instance in my courses in Middle Eastern Studies: Dubai with its artistic and historical facets is considered a fertile field for learning. Furthermore, I am planning on organizing more activities in 2016 and 2017 that would allow students (local, expats and study abroad students) to be immersed/re-immersed in the local cultures.

I presented a paper entitled “Peace Education in Lebanon”, which focused on my pedagogical approach and applications in university classrooms from 2007 till 2014 in three Lebanese Universities with 3000 graduate and undergraduate students of different religious, cultural, social-economic and political backgrounds. I also introduced my audience to the positive changes the various class activities yielded in students’ perceptions and relations based on a qualitative research I conducted with 500 students, and to the obstacles that this approach faced in a context of local and regional physical and psychological wars. Obstacles to Peace Education are numerous, but I strongly believe that ‘Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time’ (L. Johnson). Every initiative for peace counts and certainly contributes to the culture of peace. However, Peace Education ought to become a public good in Lebanon and a major pillar in the national curricula (formal settings - schools and universities) if we truly want to break the war cycle and achieve sustainable peace.

My paper presentation

My audience

Friday, September 11, 2015

Reclaiming My (Our) Regional Identity (ies)

Few days ago, I asked my students to search for the origins and use of the 'Middle East' expression and identify the most common stereotypes of the 'Middle East' and 'Middle Easterners'. Following the plenary session where they presented their findings, we discussed the importance of deconstructing 100+ year old taxonomy and theories.

By deconstruction, I mean the way Mohammed Arkoun defined it: leaving the limitations, the rigidity and deviations from the past; going beyond the binary system where 'Us' and 'Them' are forged, and where monolithic and fixed identities stuck in a conflictual dynamic are disseminated and transmitted from generation to the next. A deconstruction that would include the dismantlement of Othering, or the processes by which societies and groups exclude those whom they want to subordinate. 'Others' are usually created through animalization, naturalization and infantilization, delineated in Ella Shohat and Robert Stam's book Unthinking Eurocentrism. A deconstruction that would not be a final concept as in Derrida's approach, but would be followed by a reconstruction process, or the individual and collective search for re-invented identities that would serve the local/regional aspirations.

'Middle East', along with 'Near East' and 'Far East' are Eurocentric expressions that were coined at least a century ago in Europe, then used in North America and everywhere else. Remnants of the Colonialist era... So why do many in politics, business, media and academic institutions still use 'Middle East'? In most regions and countries, the cardinal directions are adopted - North, South, East, West and as such, we hear 'North America and South America', 'Asia Pacific' and 'South East Asia', even ' Central Asia'. We hear about 'North Africa' and 'South Africa', 'Central Europe', 'Southern Europe', etc. Yet, we do not hear 'West Asia' or 'Southwestern Asia', which is the geographically proper term for the region so-called 'Middle East'.

Unfortunately, the independence movements of the 20th century and the 'Arab Spring' did not bring a change in worldviews nor in the systems of thought and communication. Personally, I stopped using 'Middle East' and replaced it with 'West Asia' or 'Southwestern Asia'. It took me a while. Old habits break hard...

What about you?

(With my MEST 318 - Cultures of the 'Middle East' students - Workshop 1, Fall 2015 - American University in Dubai ‪#‎audubai‬ ‪#‎uae‬)

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Crawling out From under the Trash: the Role of Academics in Lebanon

How and why did we let ourselves be buried under our own physical and psychological trash- the 'we' refers here to most Lebanese -? Without implicating ourselves in entrenching the Orientalist caricatures of Southwestern Asian societies as incapable of self-government, there are questions to be asked about quietist and conformist tendencies, about the ostrich like behavior and the zombie attitude. These questions do not lend themselves to easy answers. But engaging with them may facilitate critical assessment of the prospects for sustainable change.

According to Patricio Aylwin Azocar: "Ordinary men and women may often feel unmotivated to exert their citizenship, either because they cannot tell the difference between the different alternatives, or because they have lost faith in the political classes, or because they feel that the really important issues are not in their power to decide". As for the well-known poet Adonis, he reproaches the deification of the political party, the ideology and the community - Adonis opposes the sacralisation that colours and creeps into politics, turning parliamentarians, ministers and other public servants into demi-gods, their ideologies into gospels and political parties into quasi-sects.

Indeed, over the past decades, the legacy of multiple wars in Lebanon, including hypermnesia, and paradoxically the tabula rasa mentality and strategy, have produced in the minds of a good many Lebanese the illusion that somehow “somebody” – the warlord, the zaim, the political party, the sectarian community/belonging – but not the State (or the embodiment of the common management of our diversity), can provide for ALL needs, so why make much effort to fulfill what used to be considered in practice (or are considered in the Constitution) the responsibilities of any citizen?

As Larbi Sadiki describes Adonis in The Search for Arab Democracy, he is in all of this “an iconoclast”. “His predilection is for fluidity, plurality and provisionalism". The icons of Lebanese politics have all cultivated and entrenched political iconolatry, and that iconolatry has been internalized by many Lebanese - including university students and academics -, thus has weakened the case for citizenship. Adonis’s iconoclasm (desacralisation) seems therefore justified, but in my opinion, when it comes to the Lebanese case, iconoclasm is not a generalized rebellion or a revolution - let us not forget the chaotic outcome of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in most countries where it occurred -, but a change-making process located in multiple local and diasporic social-political struggles already taking place.

Agents of dialogue, non-governmental organizations, academics and activists have been trying their best, especially since the 1990s (and before), to raise awareness about the necessity of reforming the social-political system and of finding solutions to numerous crises such as the economic, environmental, cultural,…; crises of paradigms, identities, difference, indifference, intolerance, belligerence, ignorance, oppression, fanaticism, and of missionary zeal. However, if we want to shift from subjection, autocracy, blind faith, absolutism, fixity, non-participatory polity and “denizenship” to citizenship and good government, we will have to crawl out from under the trash, we will have to desacralise, we will have to become iconoclasts, and by that I mean: we will have to start make use of the energy and creativity of all these agents and encourage new initiatives, to serve our society (and continue on serving) even from afar (Lebanese living in diaspora) while continuing our primary missions, to pull up the stories of people who have been silenced, to harness solidarity into forms of actions that would contribute to the change-making process in an efficient manner, and to redirect the substantial energy of our frustration - when our streets and lives are vanishing under piles of garbage - and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.

“If beyond hopelessness there is hope, I am hopeful” (Elias Khoury). And I am calling on my fellow academics to further publicize/disseminate their knowledge as a catalyst for social-political change, to share and continue to share the myriad ways they use their expertise to expand public discourse and promote social justice, human rights, peacebuilding and alternative diversity management approaches. Intellectual activism or public sociology - or social justice education/ peace education - is an important form of activism that should accompany street protests, boycott, peaceful demonstrations and artistic/cultural events. It is about the democratization of knowledge, about facilitating other forms of activism by giving people data and paradigms they can reference to back up their positions on social and political issues (as Popkewitz and others have noted, “Knowledge provides the principles through which options are made available, problems defined, and solutions considered as acceptable and effective”), by fostering dialogue and constructive criticism. It is about stepping out of the office and putting the accumulated research to use. It is about ‘being professor’ as a social role, not just a job, especially when the silence of many maintains injustice, which it frequently does.

True that universities do more than influence society, they are also shaped by it, they reflect the antagonisms and reproduce them, they are contested sites where various agendas and desires are promoted and through which power circulates to produce and legitimate certain kinds of knowledge, experience and ways of knowing, but the academy in Lebanon is also inherently an elitist hierarchical structure and most academics are worried about keeping their jobs and getting tenure. Furthermore, as Henry Giroux notes, “Neoliberalism assaulted all things public, sabotaged the basic contradiction between democratic values and market fundamentalism (…), it also weakened any viable notion of political agency by offering no language capable of connecting private considerations to public issues…As democratic values give way to commercial values, intellectual ambitions are often reduced to an instrument of the entrepreneurial self, and social visions are dismissed as hopelessly out of date”.

Yet despite these limitations and that of self-enclosure of the Ivory Tower, there are already engaged Lebanese academics, iconoclasts, and they are making a difference, but more need to engage beyond their classrooms, books and academic journals, to be in the act of researching people, themselves, the dynamics of oppression and the politics of social interactions and injustices, to become aware of the people’s often unknowingly complicit in the process of oppression, to create knowledge in and through meaningful participation and action with others, to bring people together and contribute to finding reasons of solidarity, to transform boundaries into spaces where lives and pedagogies are constructed together in ways that work for social justice and lead to powerful possibilities, and where dialogic and open-ended praxis based on more collaborative and caring relationships is promoted.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Semences de changement (Mémoires de guerre et Arts au Liban)

Mon article publié dans l'Orient-le-Jour, 28 Mai 2015 (Beyrouth)

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/927020/semences-de-changement.html

La guerre n'est pas terminée au Liban. Elle est continue, un cercle vicieux alimenté par deux dynamiques interdépendantes, physique et psychologique. Face à cette situation qui enlise depuis des décennies la plupart des Libanais(es) dans des sables mouvants, face à l'absence de mémoire nationale et donc d'histoire et d'identité communes, face à une amnésie étatique coexistant avec une hypermnésie sectaire/politique, face aux tentatives d'occultation officielle du conflit (loi d'amnistie 1991) confrontées à la permanence de mémoires vivantes qui informent les pratiques sociales et renforcent les différenciations communautaires, les réactions sont contradictoires : certains(es) choisissent d'oublier, de tourner la page (tabula rasa), qu'ils(elles) soient encore au Liban ou ailleurs. D'autres appliquent la politique de l'autruche ou celle du déni, le mafichi-sme. D'autres encore perpétuent les dynamiques de violence dans le privé et le public, l'ayant intériorisée, sans avoir pu ni voulu la transcender. Ces individus et groupes entretiennent une pluralité de mémoires utilisées à des fins politiques ou idéologiques pour défendre leurs intérêts antagonistes ou affirmer leurs identités exclusivistes et ségrégationnistes – des mémoires au contenu différent, mais dont le parcours est semblable : réappropriation de mythes d'origine, victimologie, culte des martyrs, etc.

Enfin, il y a ceux et celles, à titre individuel ou rassemblés(ées) au sein d'ONG, vivant au Liban ou en diaspora, qui œuvrent à briser ce cercle vicieux de la guerre à travers leur expression et production de narrations commémoratives ou d'œuvres mémorielles, et contribuent de ce fait à la construction de la paix : les artistes, les architectes, les romanciers(ères), les poètes-poétesses, les producteurs/réalisateurs/cinéastes, les musiciens(nes) et les chanteurs(ses), les photographes, les activistes en ligne et sur le terrain « offline »...

La mémoire de la guerre est en effet au cœur de la production artistique libanaise depuis les années 90 du siècle dernier – une production d'ailleurs extrêmement diversifiée, une nébuleuse en quelque sorte, que l'on retrouve souvent dans le cadre d'expositions, de festivals et de forums, avec l'association Ashkal Alwan qui a fait office de précurseur entre 1995 et 2000, suscitant un questionnement renouvelé sur la notion d'espace public et la dimension politique d'une prise de parole artistique publique. Certains(es) de ces artistes jouissent aujourd'hui d'une visibilité accrue au niveau international, tels(les) ceux et celles relevant du cinéma libanais : Ziad Doueiri, Jean Chamoun, Philippe Aractinji, Khalil Joreige et Joanna Hadjithomas, Jean-Claude Codsi, Danielle Arbid, Dima el-Horr, Samir Habchi, Michel Kamoun, Nadine Labaki, etc. Ou encore du théâtre comme Wajdi Mouawad, Siham Naser, Rabih Mroueh et Isam Bukhalid ; des arts plastiques avec Ayman Baalbacki, Rudy Rahmé, Jean-Marc Nahas, Hala el-Kaoussi et Rita Adaïmi ; de la photographie documentaire avec Nada Raphaël, Rania Matar et Randa Mirza ; de la musique avec Ashekman, Scrambled Eggs, The New Government, RGB et Lumi ; de l'architecture avec Bernard Khoury et sa conception du B018 en tant que commémoration du massacre de Maslakh-Karantina, et Samer Eid avec son projet Mor-Tuary appelant au vivre-ensemble, s'opposant clairement à la destruction de la mémoire via l'architecture mémoricide et à la prolifération de mémoires exclusivistes et conflictuelles à travers la construction de monuments de la haine, de rejet de l'autre.

En dépit de leur diversité de visions et de techniques, les artistes faiseurs(ses) de mémoire au Liban partagent quelques traits communs : ils/elles font la lumière sur la guerre et ses déboires, et surtout sur les traumatismes, les souffrances des populations civiles, des individus. Ils/elles contribuent à l'archivage et à l'écriture de l'histoire, en particulier des histoires des marginaux, des victimes, des minoritaires et minorisés, etc. bref de ceux et celles que l'historiographie traditionnelle exclut. Ils/elles défient toute volonté d'homogénéisation des représentations du passé et de la construction du savoir sur le présent et l'avenir, et se jouent de toute tentative de mise en récit par les groupes dominants. Ils/elles accordent de l'importance au récit de l'événement traumatique au sein d'un processus thérapeutique tant individuel que collectif, et au travail de deuil comme acte refondateur et transformation, pour que nous puissions, en tant que citoyens et nation, dire les blessures, leur attribuer un sens, vivre avec, y survivre et les gérer d'une manière positive. En ce sens, la culture de la vendetta est remplacée par un processus réparateur, dialogal, convivial avec pour buts la restauration de la dignité humaine, et la paix en soi et avec les autres. Ils/elles chantent le Liban avec ses dilemmes, ses souffrances et sa beauté, son manque et son peuple ; un Liban qui semble a priori perdu, sombrant dans l'aliénation, mais qui porte à mon avis les semences du changement à travers la création et la prolifération de paroles, actions, lieux/espaces alternatifs, qui reconnaissent l'identité et l'histoire du Liban non comme une page blanche, ni une page écrite à 100 %, mais partiellement et appelant à la poursuite de l'écriture – la réécriture.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

American University in Dubai Review April 2015 featuring Dr. Pamela Chrabieh

American University in Dubai Review April 2015 (featuring Dr. Pamela Chrabieh)
REVIEW AVAILABLE HERE:
http://issuu.com/marcomaud/docs/aud_review_issue_7_web

Monday, March 16, 2015

The 'Red Lips High Heels' movement, by Al-Monitor

The 'Red Lips High Heels' movement

Al-Monitor, March 16, 2015

"Don't be fooled by Pamela Chrabieh's smile. Behind this charming facade lurks a powerful brain that has permanently left Chrabieh's mark on the women's rights movement in Lebanon and beyond. This Lebanese-Canadian woman grew up in a country at war, leading her to deeply contemplate human rights and the impact of religion on society. Today, she is a professor and researcher in Dubai and an accomplished activist".

Deeply affected by the Lebanese civil war, Chrabieh became a peace activist at 18. Interested in the arts, history and religion, she studied at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. Chrabieh then joined her fiance in Montreal, where she completed a master's degree in theology, religions and cultures, with a minor in religious studies, and earned a PhD in theology-sciences of religions, which was followed by two post-doctoral research positions.

Chrabieh told Al-Monitor, “My main interests were and still are relations between religion and politics and sectarianism, youth, war memory and peace building, feminism, art therapy, interreligious-intercultural dialogue and even more.”

Chrabieh has won awards for her social activism, academic excellence and research publications and has been involved in various peace, human rights and women's rights organizations. She taught for a while at the University of Montreal, while also conducting research and publishing books and articles. After blogging on the 2006 Israeli invasion of south Lebanon, Chrabieh and her husband, Nemr Nicolas Badine, moved to Lebanon to start their family. Their daughter, Jana, was born in 2007. Chrabieh then returned to teaching at Saint Joseph University, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, while continuing her research and activism.

One of Chrabieh's accomplishments is the blog Red Lips High Heels, which she started in 2012 and brings together individuals from various ethnic, religious, cultural, socio-economic and political backgrounds. Academicians, lawyers, psychologists, artists, educators, businesswomen and housewives, students, men and women, private and public sector workers, all are welcome to publish on the blog in French, Arabic and English.

Chrabieh said, “It draws people’s attention to the mouth, and subsequently, the voice that comes out of it — a long-oppressed voice that rings loud and clear as it questions ideology and culture, patriarchal beliefs and practices, and demands the social and political rights women lack in most Southwest Asian, Middle Eastern countries.

“Individuals who are part of the Red Lips High Heels movement do not necessarily wear red lipstick and high heels,” she said. “Diversity of feminism and human rights approaches is our motto. We invite people to ‘unlearn’ their traditional knowledge about women and human relations in the Middle East.” She added that the main objectives of this blog and community are to raise awareness and empower through the deconstruction of taboos, prejudices and stereotypes.

Chrabieh further explained, “The blog and Facebook page are spaces where individuals engage in writing, reading and commenting on content from their various perspectives and commitments in order to facilitate dialogue and partnership across differences.” Men are welcome to join the community. According to Chrabieh, “Manhood is not automatically linked to patriarchy, nor womanhood to feminism, and women are not the only ones frustrated by our society’s institutionalized misogyny.”

The idea behind Red Lips High Heels is part of a broader philosophy that Chrabieh applies to her everyday life, including her teaching. She described it to Al-Monitor, stating, “I search to establish a certain unity in the diversity of identities in my classrooms, with my colleagues, in the events I organize or attend and in the books and articles I write and publish.”

Learning and teaching are Chrabieh's way of fighting for a better society. “I chose to study and teach about religions because I was raised in an environment where religion played an important role in shaping mindsets and identities,” she said. “I wanted to understand the role of religions in wars, search for their contributions to peace, deconstruct misconceptions related to religions and then share my passion for the subject with my students. I believe that the extensive study of religions using different approaches helps us have empathy and respect for other people’s views.”

Chrabieh's involvement in feminism deepened when she moved back to Lebanon in 2006 and experienced discrimination simply for being “a woman in the public sphere.” She observed, “Unfortunately, there are no laws to ensure that women are protected from gender-based discrimination in the workplace, for instance, like sexual harassment, withholding promotions, differences in titles and wages for men and women at the same level of seniority and equal responsibilities.”

Pregnancy, hiring practices, clothing and appearance, religion and family are all obstacles preventing women from developing careers. During her years teaching religious sciences and theology in Lebanon, Chrabieh herself has struggled with these issues. She explained, “A woman might not be hired for a position simply because she is a woman, and thus has no intellectual and spiritual capabilities, such as in the management of the sacred or the production and dissemination of religious knowledge, or because the employer believes that women should only take care of their family and household.”

Chrabieh acknowledged her sadness about the situation, saying, "The discrimination towards working women continues, especially when women are highly qualified and have leadership skills.” Regardless, instead of being dejected, Chrabieh always tries to remain strong and face up to the challenges. “I believe that if we want to grow, flourish and bloom, individually and as a nation, we must work through some dirt first and deal with our fears, such as the fear of failure,” she argued. “It’s like riding a bike on the streets of Beirut. It involves tumbles and bruises, but you get back up, if you are still alive, brush yourself off and keep on going.”

In 2013, the SMART Center and Women in Front organization included Chrabieh in their “Women Leaders Directory,” recognizing her feminist advocacy and honoring her as one of the 100 most influential women in Lebanon. In 2014, Chrabieh took a full-time position at the American University in Dubai to teach Middle Eastern studies. She shared that she appreciated “the flourishing cultural scene, the co-existence of hundreds of ethnic and religious identities and the innovations,” but stressed most of all, “Emirati women have achieved immense progress in a few decades, and there are many examples of women holding key positions in public and private institutions.”

Chrabieh further observed, “Discrimination is still found when it comes to the social-cultural system according to local feminist scholars, and there are ongoing debates related to the Personal Status Law, not to mention the multiple roles that women play as mother, wife and career woman. However, many women have been enabled at the political and economic levels, and women’s associations are playing a pivotal role in changing the society’s perception of women and in enhancing their participation in the building and development of society.”

Thank you Florence Massena!