Ontological Security Theory: Christian ‘Existential Anxiety’ in Egypt and Lebanon
Ontological Security Theory: Christian ‘Existential Anxiety’ in Egypt and Lebanon

Author(s): Zakia Aqra, Stavros Drakoularakos, Charitini Petrodaskalaki
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Politics and religion, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Ontological Security Theory; Christian; Existential Anxiety; Egypt; Lebanon; Christian; Middle East;
Summary/Abstract: Christian communities in the Middle East have drawn a great deal of attention, given their precarious status amidst the violent wind that came along with the Arab uprisings that swept the region in the post-2011 era. Even though there is no doubt that they were all affected, each Christian community has its own context within the nation-state it belongs to and, by extension, the angst of the post-2011 dynamics has different implications for each one. In order to better understand these implications, this paper will employ Ontological Security Theory (OST), which provides conceptual tools with which state identity and foundational narratives are cultivated vis-à-vis the Christian community in Egypt and Lebanon. The dialectic relation between state and religious communities allows us to explore in-depth how Christian communities are impacted by political and/or societal changes as well as the extent to which they may drive or inhibit particular state identity formation in times of crisis.

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