Autobiography matters: on swallowing kerosene and school bullying in Lebanon

Abstract

ABSTRACT This critically informed autobiographical essay draws on its author’s experiences of youth bullying to frame its discussion of the role of patriarchy in spawning new generations of bullies in Lebanon, and in shaping the queer perceptions that portend, and foment, the dynamics of bullying as a long-standing practice in Lebanese schools. I show how ‘queer’ in this context is a contingency not strictly mandated by same-sex inclination or desire, a reality examined in my lived narrative, and similarly evidenced by the proliferation of bullying testimonies in my students’ recent memoirs (2018–2022). The healing potential, and limitations, of life writing are also examined.